Calgary's Curbside Evolution: New Collection Schedules and a Greener Bill for 2026

Whether you're down south in Evergreen or up north of the Bow in Panorama Hills, keeping track of Calgary’s robust three-cart waste system remains a weekly ritual. As we head into the new year, the City of Calgary has rolled out the finalized 2026 waste and recycling collection schedule, a timely refresh for residents managing their black, blue, and green bin pickups.

This comprehensive dataset offers a centralized resource for the entire city, covering both the current winter bi-weekly green cart schedule and the return to weekly collection in the spring. Accessing your specific details remains a breeze: Calgarians can plug their address into the City’s website to view their personalized calendar. Beyond a simple lookup, the system offers convenient options to download and print a physical copy, integrate it with digital services like Google, iCal, or Outlook, or sign up for free reminders via text, email, or phone. For those who prefer information on the go, the official 'Calgary Garbage Day' app continues to be the most intuitive way to manage notifications directly from a smartphone.

The 2026 Bill: A "Hidden" Increase?

Beyond schedules, Calgary households are set to experience noteworthy financial shifts in 2026. While the City has touted a reduction in fees compared to a year ago, the reality is slightly more complex depending on how you look at the timeline.

If you compare the upcoming 2026 rates to January 2025, residents are indeed saving money—roughly $6 per month. However, for those paying attention to their recent bills, January 1, 2026, will actually bring a modest price hike compared to the rates enjoyed for the latter half of 2025.

Here is the breakdown of the 2026 monthly fees:

• Black Cart (Garbage): The fee for biweekly garbage collection will rise from $7.39 to $7.71 per month.
• Green Cart (Compost): Covering weekly collection (April–October) and biweekly service (November–March), this fee increases from $9.98 to $10.63 per month.
• Blue Cart (Recycling): This remains the financial bright spot. The fee is holding steady at the significantly reduced rate of $2.17 per month.

When tallied, the total monthly waste management fee for 2026 will be $20.51. While this is an increase of approximately $0.97 from the lows seen in late 2025 (due to inflation and rising program costs), it is still significantly lower than the ~$26.71 residents paid at the start of last year.

The EPR Effect

The reason for this stabilized, lower total bill lies entirely with the Blue Cart. The dramatic drop in recycling fees—which fell from $9.34 to $2.17—is not a new 2026 development, but the result of the provincial Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, which officially launched its first phase on April 1, 2025.

EPR fundamentally shifted the financial burden of managing recyclable materials (like packaging and paper products) away from municipal taxpayers and onto the producers and manufacturers who introduce these items into the marketplace. This 'made-in-Alberta' solution, overseen by the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), has successfully insulated Calgarians from the full cost of recycling, even as other waste fees creep upward.

A New Political Landscape

These changes operate under the regulatory framework of the City of Calgary Waste Bylaw 4M2020, but they also reflect a changing political guard. The groundwork for the EPR transition was laid and championed by the previous City Council in early 2025, with strong support from figures like Ward 14 Councillor Peter Demong and Ward 11 Councillor Kourtney Penner, who touted the long-term savings for residents.

However, the final approval of the 2026 rate adjustments—including the increases to Black and Green cart fees—arrives under the tenure of the new City Council and Mayor Jeromy Farkas, following the October 2025 election. The current administration has maintained the EPR savings while adjusting the remaining levies to keep pace with operational inflation.

So, whether you're rolling your bins out on a frosty winter morning or preparing for the return of weekly composting in the spring, Calgary’s waste management system is evolving. It offers clarity in digital scheduling and a continued break on recycling costs, ensuring our city remains clean, green, and fiscally sustainable for the year ahead.