Landfill and composting facility tour for schools

Waste & Recycling Services randomly selects schools for each session. If your group is selected, you will be contacted following the draw. If your school was not selected for a fall tour, you will be automatically entered into the lottery for a spring tour.

Grades 4 - 7: Call 311 now to apply.

  • 1st Deadline: June 1 - Fall session draw (Sept - Dec)
  • 2nd Deadline: September 15 - Spring session draw (Jan - June)

Grades 8 - 12: Call 311 to make a request.

City of Calgary landfill

Tour Description

The City of Calgary offers school tours at the Composting Facility and Shepard Landfill, providing students the unique opportunity to observe Calgary’s waste management operations in action. The tours include a classroom workshop and a guided bus tour through the landfill.

Grades: 4 - 7
Time: 10:00AM- 1:00PM Bring your lunch!
Curriculum: Targets the New Grade 4 Science Learning Outcomes
Program length: 3 hours total (90-minute landfill bus tour/ 90-minute classroom).
Class size: Up to 2 classes (30 students per class) per day.
Cost: No cost for tours, but schools must provide and arrange bus transportation.
Location: The Composting Facility at the Shepard Waste Management Facility (11920 68 St SE).

In the classroom:

Waste educators lead students through an interactive exploration of how we all can make a difference to our environment when we think about what we throw away.

We include:

  • A virtual tour of the new composting facility.
  • Activities highlighting the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
  • Actions that contribute to conserving our resources.

On the landfill:

The Shepard Waste Management Facility bus tour demonstrates how The City of Calgary safely and responsibly manages Calgary's garbage and why our waste diversion programs are so important in reducing the waste going to landfill.

We cover:

  • The way a landfill cell is constructed and how it operates.
  • How to use The City’s programs to divert materials from landfill.
  • Why organic matter doesn’t break down in a landfill and should be composted.
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