BeWasteWise: Green Organics Cart

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Consultation has concluded

City staff member places a "Thank You" sticker on a Green Organics Cart that has been correctly sorted


The City of St. Albert offers curbside collection of organics, such as food and yard waste, to nearly 20,000 single and multi-family homes. Residents can place their organic material in the Green Organics Cart where it is taken to an outdoor composting pad to be turned into compost! Twice a year, the City is pleased to offer the finished compost material to residents for free.

City staff are seeing items that do not belong in the Green Organics Cart. In September 2020, a visual inspection was completed at the outdoor composting pad and examples of items that were seen in the Green Organics Cart can be viewed below. Unacceptable materials (contamination) such as garbage or hazardous waste may increase program costs and lower the quality of the finished compost. The City is exploring opportunities to reduce contamination in the Green Organics Cart, such as education, outreach and enforcement.

Left to right: Black garbage bag, antifreeze, plastic food packaging

Thank you for your feedback! City staff are reviewing all of the great submissions we received.



The City of St. Albert offers curbside collection of organics, such as food and yard waste, to nearly 20,000 single and multi-family homes. Residents can place their organic material in the Green Organics Cart where it is taken to an outdoor composting pad to be turned into compost! Twice a year, the City is pleased to offer the finished compost material to residents for free.

City staff are seeing items that do not belong in the Green Organics Cart. In September 2020, a visual inspection was completed at the outdoor composting pad and examples of items that were seen in the Green Organics Cart can be viewed below. Unacceptable materials (contamination) such as garbage or hazardous waste may increase program costs and lower the quality of the finished compost. The City is exploring opportunities to reduce contamination in the Green Organics Cart, such as education, outreach and enforcement.

Left to right: Black garbage bag, antifreeze, plastic food packaging

Thank you for your feedback! City staff are reviewing all of the great submissions we received.


Consultation has concluded

  • Engagement Findings

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    Thank you to everyone who provided input on the BeWasteWise: Green Organics Cart project. The BeWasteWise: Green Organics Cart page received 1,710 visitors, 133 survey participations, 9 contributions to the forum, and 5 ideas. This summary information is intended to provide high-level, overall themes to general input. It is not statistically valid, and interpretation is discretionary. This information is one of many influencing factors in helping Council and Administration make decisions.

    What We Heard

    An emerging trend from the forum feedback was the desire of residents living in multi-residential complexes to have access to the Green Organics Cart program. When the program launched in 2011, multi-residential complexes were given the opportunity to opt in or out of the program. Many complexes chose to opt out because they were already paying a third-party contractor for landscaping and yard maintenance, or they had limited space to store a second cart.

    Most respondents indicated they receive information on “What Goes Where?” from the City’s website or the BeWasteWise App. A small number of respondents stated that if they do not know if an item is accepted in the Green Organics Cart, they will guess. Other respondents stated that if they are unsure of where an item goes, they will place it in the garbage.

    Contamination in the Green Organics Cart reduces the quality of the finished product and can increase program costs. Currently, visibly contaminated carts are tagged and not collected. In terms of enforcement measures, 88% of respondents support tagging and not collecting, while at least a third of respondents also supported each of the following: inspections, fines, and removal from the program after consistent misuse.

    What's Next?

    Residents living in multi-residential complexes in St. Albert are interested in receiving curbside organics collection. The City’s upcoming Municipal Development Plan (“Flourish: Growing to 100K”) recommends there is an opportunity for additional waste diversion by adding existing and future multi-residential properties to the curbside collection program.

    Due to COVID-19, when possible, City staff will resume in-person education and outreach, including information booths and the annual Curbside Waste Education program. Administration will explore additional enforcement measures to reduce contamination in the cart, including fines, inspections, and removal from the program. City staff and contractors will continue to tag and not collected visibly contaminated Green Organics Carts.

    For more information on the City of St. Albert’s Waste & Diversion programs, visit stalbert.ca/waste