CALGARY – Reduce, reuse, recycle and rejoice!
Entering the Christmas, Black Friday and holiday seasons, the latest episode of the Calgary Conversations podcast looks at ways to reduce waste during this time of giving and even offers up some gift-giving advice.
As Calgarians celebrate, the amount of waste hitting City landfills and recycling and composting facilities will go up by 25%.
“We’re already starting to see a lot more shipping waste, cardboard, bubble wrap, shopping bags, that sort of thing,” said Sharon Howland, Leader of Program Management with Waste & Recycling Services. “And then the hosting season as well. So many holiday parties with disposable cups, paper plates, and napkins. So, this month, all the way into January, when we have the Christmas trees, it’s really a high-producing time period.”
The evolution of how Calgarians shop has really changed what ends up at City facilities.
“It’s changed so much in the last 10 years,” said Howland.
“We used to go into the recycling facility and the pile of recycling was a certain colour, and now it is brown. It’s brown boxes. And it’s all because of the online shopping and items delivered right to people’s doors. It’s cushion pillows, the bubble wrap, that sort of thing. So, there’s been a significant change.”
One tip to reduce waste is to shop local, said Grace Wark, Waste Diversion Specialist with Waste & Recycling Services.
“If you’re buying it here in Calgary, you may have less of that bubble wrap, less of all of those boxes that end up cluttering up your blue cart,” said Wark.
“So, it’s a great way to reduce all of that waste. And hopefully we can bring down that extra 25% that’s ending up at City facilities.”
Wark says it’s important to be intentional about holiday shopping. Consider experience gifts, like tickets to a show or a city destination like The Calgary Zoo or a City recreation facility. Getting creative with how you wrap your gifts can also reduce waste. Using tea towels, fabric you have at home or magazines to wrap are easy alternatives to wrapping paper, says Wark.
“One of my favourite gifts that I received when I was a kid was wrapped in towels because my parents couldn’t find anything else to wrap one of those big play kitchens, and the effect was absolutely the same,” says Wark.
Howland says it is also important to be extra vigilant when it comes to batteries.
“A lot of people look at a battery and say ‘Oh, it seems metal, I bet you that can go in the recycling bin’ and they toss it in there. Then it gets crushed in the back of a collection truck, or gets run over by the loader at the recycling facility, gets exposed to air or moisture, and poof, a building full of paper is on fire,” says Howland.
“Put them in a bin in your garage. Keep them clean and dry and then take them either to a Calgary eco center or visit the City of Calgary website for more information about disposing of batteries.”
The Calgary Fire Dept. says battery fires at City landfills and recycling facilities are increasing due to improper disposal, with approximately 75 fire incidents reported at City landfills and recycling facilities in 2025. Across the city, there has been more than $30 million in property losses so far in 2025 due to lithium-ion battery fires.
The episode also goes through how The City handles food waste and things you can do to reduce the amount of food that gets thrown out.
You can hear the whole episode here or wherever you download your favourite podcasts.
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