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2022 Cart Wizard results

Great job sorting Airdrie! During 2022, almost 10,000 houses were visited in Airdrie with the following receiving Cart Wizard stars: 

Green carts (organics)Blue carts (recycling)
94% 47%
4625 stickers 2348 stickers

Cart wizard sticker program

Throughout the summer, staff complete visual assessments of green (organics) and blue (recycling) carts for contamination and materials that don't belong. Residents either:

  • Receive a 'cart wizard' sticker for correctly sorting and placing  their cart(s) OR
  • Receive an educational orange 'oops tag' if additional assistance is needed to understand how to use the green and blue carts  

Reasons to properly sort your carts:

  • In 2021, recycling contamination cost Airdrie $22,566.66 
  • Sorting properly saves money, reduces truck emissions and reduces the likelihood of injury to workers

Common incorrect items in carts

Incorrect items found in green carts include:

  • Plastic (i.e. dog waste bags, garbage bags). 

    Bags need to be certified compostable, paper or newspaper. Plastic is NOT allowed in the green cart.

  • Food in packaging (i.e. berries in a container, chips in bags).
    Remove all packaging before placing food in your organics cart. Rinse and recycle if possible.
  • Coffee/soft drink cups. Empty and clean cups go in your blue cart. Lids and plastic straws are garbage.

Incorrect items found in blue carts include:

  • Multi-materials. These are two or more items that can't be separated or plastics that can't be identified (i.e. shipping envelopes made of bubble wrap/paper,  Pringles© cans, plastic toys and cutlery). If items cannot be separated, please place in your garbage.
  • Loose, stretchy plastic. Plastics that stretch (i.e. grocery bags, pop case overwrap) need to be bundled and tied into one stretchy bag.
  • Bagged recycling. All recycling must be loose in your blue cart except for stretchy plastic and shredded paper.

Use our what goes where tool