Waste and Recycling

Burning household waste in a "burn barrel" or other receptacle is often done in the County. While this may have been acceptable many years ago when paper and tin were the common waste items it is no longer an acceptable method of waste disposal with concerns over air quality, and the type of material commonly found in our homes, including plastic, foam, glues and coated papers. Burning plastics is prohibited in Alberta.

While reduce, reuse and recycle should be your primary considerations, it is legal to burn carbon-based, untreated materials, which might include wood or straw. Other materials should be taken to a facility for recycle or safe disposal.

Small farms are considered residential and can use the facilities. Commercial farms would be charged a commercial rate to use the transfer site. These farms may want to contact private waste hauling companies.

Yes, County Waste & Recycling Centres accept cash payments; however, Tag-a Bag Tickets must be used at Chuck Wagons.

Non-Rocky View County residents may use a County Waste & Recycling Centre but will need to pay a non-resident site usage fee per visit.

Homeowners that generate small amounts of construction waste can drop off their materials at one of the County’s Waste & Recycling Centres. It is a good idea to call ahead to make sure they have room for the materials you are bringing. If a contractor is completing the work, it is their responsibility to remove the waste and take it to the appropriate facility. We do not accept commercial waste.

No. The County’s recycling programs for oil, paint, tires, and e-waste are available to the community free of charge because the County has cooperative agreements with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA).

Absolutely! By reporting any and all suspected incidents of illegal dumping, you’ll not only help keep Rocky View County clean and safe, but also ensure that those responsible for committing these acts are held accountable.

Area residents are urged to report anyone suspected of illegally dumping waste material to the County’s Enforcement Services via online report or calling 403.230.1401. The local RCMP detachment can also be notified.

When calling to report illegal dumping, please provide as much detail and information as possible including:

• Date, time and location of the offence;
• Violator’s description, if possible; and
• Details of the violation itself, (i.e. what was the waste illegally disposed of?)

To support recycling, consider participating in Canadian Waste Reduction Week. The event is held the third week of October every year. By highlighting the importance of waste reduction, this week aims to inform Canadians about the environmental and social impact of wasteful habits and promotes the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle – as alternatives to the landfill. Waste Reduction Week challenges schools, organizations, businesses, local governments, and individuals to reduce their ecological footprint by cutting down on the amount of waste they generate.

Zero Waste has immense potential. Employed correctly, it may very well be just as noteworthy as the introduction of the blue box itself. By implementing a few small changes in our behavior and our approach to the idea of waste and resource depletion generally, it will go a long way to helping our planet by not creating the waste in the first place.

The composting process requires:

• Organic material
• Moisture
• Air
• Soil organisms

You do not have to do much more than alternate layers of organic waste: green (high nitrogen) materials and brown (high carbon) materials. Thin layers of soil can be added if needed. This will increase the number of soil organisms in the pile. Keep moist and turn frequently to provide an adequate air supply.

Here are a few steps residents can take to ensure their end product is more desirable for recycling markets.

• Keep material as clean as possible by keeping manure and silage contamination to a minimum to make the bags more marketable
• Use clear bags for twine
• Machine roll grain bags and tie with twine

Bring materials to an Agricultural Roundup or County’s Waste & Recycling Centre on a regular basis to reduce weathering and contamination of bags.