The recycling efforts of Calgarians have resulted in a record breaking amount of collected material that will not find its way to the landfill.

Between July of 2009 and July of 2012, more than 200 million kilograms of materials were collected through the city’s Blue Cart program and community recycling collection depot.  The collected amount represents an increase of 70 per cent.

Among the collected materials:

  • 178 million kg of paper and cardboard
  • 14 million kg of glass jars
  • 7 million kg of plastic containers
  • 4 million kg of food cans and foil

“Calgarians have made recycling a part of their every day routines and are doing the right thing by tossing their paper, cardboard, plastic containers, food cans and glass jars into their blue cart or community recycling depot,” says Program Development Leader Paula Magdich.  “Every bit makes a difference and together we’re making big strides in reducing the amount of waste we send to our landfills.”

The 2012 Citizen Satisfaction survey found 95 per cent of Calgarians believing the Blue Cart program to be important and 90 per cent stated they were satisfied with the program.