Pincher Creek residents will soon be able to recycle everything from glass jars and pizza boxes to chip bags and foam meat trays, without leaving home and without additional cost.

Starting Oct. 1, Pincher Creek will join Alberta’s enhanced recycling system under the province’s Extended Producer Responsibility framework, bringing curbside collection and expanded material acceptance to local households.

The new service will be managed by Circular Materials, a not-for-profit producer responsibility organization, and will apply to residential households in the town of Pincher Creek and the hamlets of Beaver Mines and Lundbreck in the MD.

What is changing and why

The transition is driven by provincial legislation. Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act created the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation, which shifts responsibility for recycling programs from municipalities and taxpayers to the companies that supply packaging and paper products to consumers.

Konrad Dunbar, the town’s chief administrative officer, says the program has been years in the making.

“This program stretches back to 2022 and has many pieces and dates associated with it, including a provincial EPR partner, Circular Materials,” he says.

October marks Phase 2 of Alberta’s EPR rollout, following a Phase 1 launch in April 2025.

Who is eligible and what about rural residents?

The program covers only residential households and does not extend to commercial businesses.

In the MD, eligibility is tied to existing curbside garbage service, which is why only Beaver Mines and Lundbreck qualify at this time.

David Desabrais, the MD’s utilities and infrastructure manager, says that could change down the road.

“If in the future, curbside garbage services come to another hamlet or community, eligibility would change for recycling for that community,” he says.

Rural MD residents outside those hamlets will still have access to recycling through the Eco Centre depot, where two bins are expected to transition to single-stream collection with a broader range of accepted materials.

What residents can recycle

One of the most significant changes is the expansion of accepted materials.

The new program will accept glass containers, foam packaging such as meat trays and takeout containers, flexible plastics like chip bags and pet food bags, rigid plastics, aerosol containers, cardboard, paper, metal containers and other packaging materials.

The biggest change will be convenience, as the new program is single-stream, meaning residents will not need to sort recyclables before putting them out.

Desabrais says the new arrangement will divert more residential recyclables from the landfill.

Bins and collection schedules

Residents will receive new recycling bins ahead of the Oct. 1 launch.

Circular Materials will provide bin delivery details directly to residents. Neither the town nor the MD had received information on exact delivery dates or contractors as of this report.

No changes to existing waste collection schedules are anticipated.

Circular Materials will oversee recycling operations, including hiring contractors, handling communications and education campaigns, and managing service concerns such as missed pickups or damaged bins.

Costs and existing fees

There will be no additional charge to residents for the EPR recycling program but existing fees will remain in place.

For instance, the town’s 95-gallon cart fee, which applies to garbage collection, will continue.

Dunbar says any future changes to its fee structure would be a council decision made once the impact of the new program is better understood.

Town and MD roles going forward

Once the program launches, both the town and MD expect minimal day-to-day operational involvement after spending the past several years working with Circular Materials to ensure local service expectations are met.

The MD will continue managing the Eco Centre depot site alongside landfill operations.

Details on the new program are available online at circularmaterials.ca/ab.