What can't go in your green cart

Keep these items out of our Green Cart food and yard waste program.

Removing these items helps us produce high quality compost that will be used at local farms, gardens and in our community.

If you don't know where to put an item, check out What Goes Where.

No. Keep these items out of your green cart

No plastic or biodegradable bags

If using a bag to line your kitchen pail, only use certified compostable bags. If your cart is full, use a paper yard waste bag.

  • Yard waste in plastic bags
  • Food waste in plastic bags
No Plastic Bags  

No food or beverage packaging

Remove food from its packaging and put it in your green cart. For packaging disposal options, see What Goes Where.

  • Fruit or vegetable stickers
  • Coffee cups
  • Foam meat trays
  • Metal food cans
  • Plastic containers and tubs
  • Plastic bottles
  • Jars
  • Plastic bags
No Food or Beverage Packaging  

No diapers or personal hygiene items

All personal hygiene products belong in your black cart as garbage.

Many hygiene products often contain plastics and are often used for make-up removal, cleaning and other chemicals that do not belong in the green cart.

  • Cleaning wipes or makeup wipes
  • Cotton swabs/Q-tips
  • Diapers
  • Wipes - baby wipes, cosmetic wipes etc.
  • Tampons, applicators, sanitary napkins and menstrual pads
  • Cotton balls
No Hygeine Items  

No painted or treated wood

For disposal options, see What Goes Where.

  • Pressure-treated wood such as deck or fencing wood
  • Manufactured wood - plywood, particle board/oriented strand board (OSB), wood panelling, hardboard (HDF) and (MDF)
  • Furniture - wood, wicker, bamboo etc.
No Painted Treated Wood  

No clothing, textiles or fabrics

See disposal options for clothing and fabrics at What Goes Where.

  • Clothes (shirts, pants, jackets, shoes etc.)
  • Fabric (scraps, cloths, rags etc.)
  • Linens (towels, curtains, sheets etc.)
  • Cushions and pillows
No Clothes Shoes or Textiles  

No plastic plates or cutlery

For disposal options, see What Goes Where.

  • Plastic plates
  • Plastic spoons, forks and knives
  • Compostable plastic takeout containers (cups, plates, bowls, utensils)

Even if these items are marked as "compostable", they are not accepted in the green cart program.

Please note: Compostable bags are ok to use to line your kitchen pail. See our list of available bag brands and retailers.

No Plastic Plates Cutlery  

Why can't compostable plastic products go in the green cart?

We tested a variety of compostable coffee pods, compostable containers and compostable cutlery.

These items did not break down at the composting facility leaving behind compostable plastic pieces. This contamination increases costs and impacts the quality of the finished compost.

Please put compostable plastic items in the garbage.

No Plastic Plates Cutlery

This is a compostable plastic spoon that went through the Calgary Composting Facility. As you can see, this item did not break down properly.

drop-off/landfill-throw-n-go-facilities,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null