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Recycle Right

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Recycling Right

Recycling right in the RMWB starts with knowing what goes where. Maximize recycling efforts and dispose of items properly using your black binlight blue bin, or dark blue bin. Need help sorting an item? The Online Sorting Tool can point you in the right direction.

Black Bin

WASTE & NON-RECYCABLES

Bag it Right, Bin it Tight!

Not everything belongs in the garbage — check the online sorting tool to see where it should go.

Garbage needs to be bagged in your bin.

Yes please! ✅

  • Food waste
  • Unrinsed recycables
  • Greasy or food-soiled cardboard and paper
  • Styrofoam
  • Household waste that can’t be recycled

No thanks! ❌

  • Electronics
  • Hazardous waste
  • Car parts
  • Sharp items (needles, syringes, etc.)
  • Yard waste
  • Dirt, rocks and gravel
  • Pet waste which isn't double bagged. Bagged pet waste can't exceed 15% of total bin space

Light Blue Bin

PAPER & CARDBOARD

Empty, Stack and Recycle

There’s more! Check the online tool to explore all recyclable items.

Recyclables must be loose.

Yes please! ✅

  • Soup cartons
  • Newspapers, magazines and flyers
  • Cereal boxes
  • Egg cartons
  • Toilet tubes and rolls
  • Boxes, paper bags and packaging
  • Take out boxes
  • Sugar bags

No thanks! ❌

  • Boxes with residue
  • Hardcover books
  • Paper towel
  • Styrofoam
  • Coffee filters
  • Ring binders
  • Photo albums
  • Baby wipes
  • Pet waste

Dark Blue Bin

TIN & PLASTIC

Empty, Rinse and Recycle

There’s more! Check the online tool to explore all recyclable items.

Recyclables must be loose.

Yes please! ✅

  • Plastic food jars
  • Tin food cans
  • Pet food cans
  • Foil
  • Shampoo bottles
  • Milk jugs
  • Plastics labelled 1-7
  • Yogurt cups

No thanks! ❌

  • Hoses
  • Auto parts
  • Styrofoam
  • Pails & brochures
  • Batteries
  • Plastic toys
  • Diapers
  • Pet waste

Downloadable Bin Guides

Take the guesswork out of recycling. These printable guides show you what goes in your light blue and dark blue bins so you can recycle right every time.

Online Sorting Tool 

Recycling right means putting the right items in the right place. Use the online sorting tool to find out what belongs in your curbside bins and where to take everything else.

Recycling Batteries in the RMWB

A new battery recycling program is now available in Fort McMurray, making it easier to safely recycle household batteries.

How it works

  • Tape the terminals of batteries with non-conductive tape (such as hockey or electrical tape) before drop-off.

  • Place batteries in one of the new collection boxes located around Fort McMurray.

  • No box nearby? Bring them to the Public Drop-Off at the Municipal Landfill.

Important reminder

⚠️ Damaged, swollen, or leaking batteries must be brought directly to the Public Drop-Off at the landfill for safe disposal.

Battery recycling options are also available in rural communities:

  • Fort Chipewyan, Janvier & Conklin – Automotive-style batteries (car and truck) are accepted locally.

  • Fort McKay, Anzac, Saprae Creek & Gregoire Lake Estates (GLE) – All batteries (household and automotive) must be taken to the Municipal Landfill for safe disposal and recycling.

  • Staples Canada
    8544 Manning Ave, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 5G2

  • Save-On-Foods
    8406 Franklin Ave, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 2J3

  • RONA Fort McMurray
    8408 Manning Ave, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 5G2

  • Tridon Communications
    10017 Queen St, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 4Y9

  • Fort McMurray Home Hardware
    2975 Franklin Ave, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 2H5

  • Save-On-Foods
    131 Signal Rd, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 4N6

  • Dr. Phone Fix Fort McMurray
    100 Riverstone Ridge, Fort McMurray, AB T9K 1S6

  • Westburne Fort McMurray
    205 Mackay Cres, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 4T5

  • Jubilee Centre (Main Floor)
    9909 Franklin Ave, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 2K4

  • Public Drop-Off – Municipal Landfill
    AB-63, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 4A5

Common Recycling Questions

Yes.

All recycling equipment and services in the RMWB are fully operational. Properly sorted and prepared recyclables are sent to producers to be recycled and reused.

⚠️ However, if recycling is contaminated with food, garbage, or non-recyclable items, it can’t be processed and may be sent to the landfill instead.

Yes — but not through curbside collection.

Glass bottles and containers can be reused, but must be dropped off at the landfill—free of charge.

⚠️ Do not put glass in your curbside bins, it can contaminate the entire load rendering materials unsuitable for recycling and create safety risks for workers who sort recycling by hand.

Yes — but they don’t need to be spotless.

  • Give cans and containers a quick rinse to remove leftover food or liquid.

  • Labels can stay on.

  • For cardboard and paper, make sure there’s no food residue or greasy spots.

  • Flatten and break down boxes to save space.

Properly prepared recyclables are more likely to be reused. If bins are contaminated with food or garbage, it can prevent your recycling — and your neighbours’ — from being collected and recycled.

First, collection teams check recycling bins for contamination before they’re picked up. If a bin contains too many non-recyclable items, it may be left behind or tagged.

After pickup, your recycling is taken to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), where it’s sorted by hand on conveyor belts. Contaminated or incorrect items are removed and sent to the landfill.

The clean, sorted recyclables are compacted into large bales and shipped to producers, who recycle the materials into new products. Thanks to Alberta’s new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, producers are now responsible for processing recycling, helping ensure more materials are reused through the circular economy.

Contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or online at rmwb.ca/pulse and the collection teams will follow up directly with you to repair or replace your damaged bin.  

The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts more responsibility for end-of-life products to the producer and away from local governments and taxpayers. The regulatory change implemented by the Government of Alberta came into effect April 1, 2025 and will encourage companies to find innovative ways to recycle more materials and produce less packaging waste. 

The RMWB is exploring the possibility of a compost and organic waste program.

It’s identified as a future goal in the Solid Waste Services Master Plan and is something many residents have asked for. Planning work is ongoing as the Municipality looks at options that best meet the needs of the region.

 

Pet waste should never go in your recycling binit contaminates other materials in the curbside collections trucks and poses serious health and safety risks to the staff who sort recyclables by hand. 

To dispose of pet waste properly, you have a few options: 

  • Use a Green Cone composter at home. 

  • Bag it and take it to the municipal landfill. 

  • Double bag it and place it in your black bin. 

  • Take part in the seasonal Pet Waste Drop-Off event when available. 

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