Town of Westlock

• Your Organic Cart must be placed curbside by 7 a.m. on your organics collection day.
• Organic Carts belong to the house address they are assigned to, as identified by a bar code on the cart. For identification purposes, the Town recommends you record the serial number of your Organic Cart.
• On your collection day, wheel the Organic Cart to the curb, where your garbage and recycling are collected.
• Please be sure your Organic Cart is placed one metre (four feet) clear of any obstacle in each direction, including overhead and between Carts. As Organic Carts are collected using automated vehicles, sufficient space between other items and possible obstructions is required.
• Please ensure the lid is fully closed on the Organic Cart. If it is not, your organics may not be collected.

Organics Acceptable Items  

• Food Waste
• Yard Waste 
• Paper Waste
• Other Waste
• Bread and baked goods
• Coffee grinds and filters
• Cooled cooking oils or grease
• Dairy products - Eggs and eggshells
• Fowl*
• Grains, nuts, flour, etc.
• Fruits, vegetables, peelings
• Meat products and bones*
• Pasta and rice
• Seafood*
• Soup stock
• Tea bags
• Brush or prunings
• Garden foliage
• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Small branches
• Weeds
• Freezer, wax or parchment paper
• Soiled paper products (e.g. newspapers)
• Soiled paper-based egg trays or cartons (e.g., milk cartons)
• Wet or soiled cardboard (e.g. wet pizza boxes)
• Wet or soiled paper towels and tissues
• shredded paper
• Pet waste in compostable bags
• Cereal boxes
• Bars of soap
• Floor sweepings
• Saw dust

  *Please wrap items in newspaper. 

 Organics Unacceptable Items

• Beverage (pop) cans
• Diapers or wipes
• Electronics or small appliances
• Fire ashes
• Glass
• Household hazardous waste
• Hot drink cups
• Hazardous Waste
• Metal
• Plastic
• Plastic bags
• Plastic toys
• Sod and soil
• Styrofoam

It is best practice to use a kitchen catcher to collect food scraps and empty them into your Organic Cart when the kitchen catcher is full. It should also be used with a lining of compostable bags, paper bags or newsprint.

If you prefer not to use compostable bags, line the cart's bottom and sides with a few pages of a newspaper or soiled cardboard to prevent material from sticking to the cart.

Do not pack material into the cart, as this may cause the material to stick.

Compostable bags are recommended for organics disposal; select bags with the BPI or Compostable logos. These logos distinguish certified products from other products on the market that are not compostable. 

The logo below should be located on the outside of the package and on the liner:

 Paper-based composting bags do not require the BPI logo and are suitable for use in the Town's Organic Cart program.

Do not:

• overfill the cart
• contaminate the cart with improper material
• pack garbage into the cart
• write or spray-paint the cart

To prevent organics material from freezing to the inside of the cart:

• line the cart with newspaper, pizza boxes or cardboard
• wrap wet organics material in a newspaper, paper towels or soiled cardboard
• alternate layers in the cart with wet and dry materials

Reducing Odours

The Organic Cart has been designed to promote oxygen flow to the organics inside the cart. This allows the composting process to begin, which will dry out the materials and reduce odours.

Odours are often caused by too much moisture. Reduce moisture by layering dry (paper or leaves) and wet (food waste) materials in your cart. This will help damp or smelly organics dry out and start the composting process.

Layer organics by placing a layer of wet waste (e.g., kitchen waste) and then dry waste (e.g., newspaper). Alternate layers of wet and dry material

Keeping it Clean

• Store the cart in a shady, well-ventilated area.
• When cleaning out your refrigerator, try waiting until the day before your collection day rather than the day after.
• Set your Organic Cart out for collection every week, even if it is not full.
• After each collection, tip over your Organic Cart to pour out any liquid left behind. You can also rinse your cart periodically with a hose or clean it with a mild detergent solution to wash away debris and buildup. When rinsing, please drain your cart onto landscaped areas on your lawn or near shrubbery and not into storm sewers. Allow the cart to dry completely before its subsequent use.

Winter Care Tips

To prevent organics material from freezing to the inside of the cart:

• line the cart with newspaper, pizza boxes or cardboard
• wrap wet organics material in a newspaper, paper towels or soiled cardboard
• alternate layers in the cart with wet and dry materials

Moving? Damaged or Stolen Cart? 

The cart must be left at the residence if you move, or you may be charged.

If your cart is damaged, stolen or vandalized, please contact Operations at 780-349-4444. Residents are responsible for any damage caused to Carts, except that caused by the contractor's drivers.

Pest Control

Pests (such as flies, maggots and other critters) have always been a common problem with waste collection programs. While pests may be difficult to eliminate, these tips will help you get rid of them or (even better) avoid them altogether.

Maggots and Flies

Maggots are fly larvae and occur when flies lay eggs on organic waste. Depending on temperatures and other conditions, they typically have a seven-day life cycle. Discourage flies from laying their eggs in your Organic Cart by reducing odours and reducing access to food waste in the cart.

• Certain odours will repel flies, such as pennyroyal, camphor, eucalyptus, mint or bay. Try hanging some bruised leaves of these herbs in clusters, or apply dabs of herbal oil to the outside of your Organic Cart.
• Flies are attracted to protein, like meat and bones. Try waiting until the night before collection to place these items in the Organic Cart. If space permits, place these items in a paper container (e.g., an empty paper ice cream container) and store them in your freezer. In any case, wrap meat and seafood scraps before placing them in your kitchen catcher or your Organic Cart.
• Line the outer rim of your Organic Cart with salt or spray with vinegar to keep flies from entering. You can also sprinkle rock salt or garden lime inside the cart. If you get flies or maggots in your Organic Cart
• Cover your cart with black plastic sheeting (e.g., a garbage bag) to trap heat and kill off the flies during the summer. Flies are most active during temperatures of 20 to 25°C and become undetectable above 45°C and below 10°C.
• Cover maggots with powdered garden lime, salt or vinegar.
• Sprinkle diatomaceous earth, a natural product that kills larvae, slugs, etc., on the critters and over the Organic Cart waste. Check garden centres and nurseries for availability.
• Clean your Organic Cart thoroughly after the next collection day, using water and a light detergent or a water/vinegar solution. Leave no residue in the bottom of the cart, and ensure it is dry before use.

Animals or Vermin

If animals are a problem, store the cart away from fences, trees, tables or chairs. Be sure to clasp the lockable lid on your cart.

Blue Bag Recycling

• Curbside Blue Bag(s) Recycling is available for all households with curbside garbage collection. Blue Bags are out at the curb before 7 a.m. Recycling must be bagged.
• No sorting or tags needed
• There is no limit to the number of clear Blue Bag(s) residents can put at the curbside
• Please ensure only appropriate materials are placed in your Blue Bag(s)
• Please remember to tie your Blue Bag(s) at the top

Recycling Acceptable Items

• Corrugated Cardboard
• flatten, fold and place beneath blue bags (maximum size is three feet by three feet)
• Newsprint/Heavy Paper 
• newspaper, magazines, phone books, catalogues, flyers
• Boxboard
• collapsed cereal boxes, pasta boxes, shoe boxes, etc.
• Mixed Paper
• office paper, gift wrap, junk mail, paperback books, paper bags, etc.
• Deposit Items*
• milk cartons and jugs, pop and beer cans, wine, water, beer, juice boxes and juice tetra packs
• Containers*
• metal cans and plastic household containers such as laundry bottles and food and beverage, food, soup) containers The recycle symbol is found on the bottom of the plastic container.
• Please ensure all containers and deposit items are rinsed, and caps and lids are discarded.

Recycling Unacceptable Items

• Aerosol cans
• Aluminium containers/aluminum foil/aluminum pie plates
• Bubble wrap / Plastic film
• Ceramics
• Clothes
• Diapers
• Hazardous waste (e.g., batteries, paint, fertilizer, oils)
• Electronics
• Food scraps
• Glass (coloured or clear)
• Non-deposit jars
• Plastic bags
• Plastic toys
• Scrap metal, wood and other building materials
• Shredded Paper
• Small appliances
• Soiled paper (used tissue/paper towel, dirty pizza boxes)
• Styrofoam - Un-rinsed food containers
• Tin foil
• Yard waste

Recycling Electronics

Acceptable E-waste materials include:

• computers
• CPU's/servers
• keyboards
• mouse
• cables/speakers(household or car)
• monitors
• printers/printer combinations
• laptops/notebooks

Residents are asked to use non-returnable containers only. Commercial, institutional, agricultural or industrial waste is not permitted.

 Electronic Recycling Association

What does the Electronic Recycling Association do? They are a not-for-profit organization with a mission to reduce electronic waste and the negative impact on the environment by reusing and recycling unwanted computers, laptops and other electronic equipment. 

For additional information, check out their website at http://www.era.ca/.

Electronic recycling is also available at the Westlock Regional Landfill.

 Recycle My Cell

Recycle My Cell (RMC) is Canada's national recycling program for mobile devices. It is a free, convenient and easy way to recycle old and unwanted cell phones, smartphones and accessories (rechargeable cell phone batteries, chargers, etc.) The program is organized by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association (CWTA) and partners with wireless carriers, handset manufacturers, processors and other interested parties.

Recycle My Cell currently has over 400 locations within Alberta. Each site accepts used or unwanted wireless devices regardless of make, model or condition. Residents are able to determine whether a physical drop-off location is accessible to them by entering their postal code at recyclemycell.ca. The website also provides the most up-to-date information as new drop-off locations become available. In the event residents cannot go to a location, they also have the option to print a pre-paid mailing label and mail their device through Canada Post.

The website also includes steps to delete personal information from wireless devices, provides answers to frequently asked questions, and highlights the various programs operated by their partners.