Why China’s role in the recyclable market matters to Calgary and what you can do (Hint: Keep recycling!)

There has been a lot of talk about China’s ban on foreign recyclables. But what does this mean exactly for Calgary and the Blue Cart recycling program? We break it down for you below.

What exactly is going on with recycling in China?

Materials like plastic and paper are recycled by manufacturers around the globe. Just like oil and precious metals, recyclables are commodities and their markets go up and down depending on supply and demand. China is one of many places where recyclables go to be turned into new products and packaging. Globally, China represents the largest recycling market. Approximately 50 per cent of the world’s recyclables have traditionally been made into something new in China.

For many years, some companies that did not sort their recyclables properly have been sending low-quality and contaminated recyclable materials to Chinese mills and manufacturers. This behavior prompted the Chinese government to implement the National Sword program, which is aimed at improving the quality of recyclables being imported by Chinese manufacturers. Loads of recyclables are being closely inspected under this program to ensure that quality standards are met.

While the initiative officially took effect on January 1, 2018, many third-party brokers that handle the shipping and import of recyclable materials knew it was coming and began to stop shipping materials to China in the fall of 2017. With a lot of uncertainty about how China will enforce the program, third-party brokers are reluctant to ship materials, even if they are sorted properly, for fear that the shipments will be rejected. As a result, third-party brokers are looking for other recycling markets where the rules and quality standards are clearer for them to understand. This has created a buyers’ market for certain recyclable materials around the world.

How does this affect Calgary’s Blue Cart recycling program?

The City works with Cascades Recovery, a private third-party company that sorts and markets the recyclables collected through City recycling programs. Some of The City’s plastics are recycled in Western Canada, whereas other materials are recycled overseas, including in China. Just like others around the globe, we are affected by this situation.

The City is not considering putting the stockpiled material in our landfills. Even though the market is in a downturn, these materials are still highly recyclable. Just like commodities in other industries, we frequently stockpile during downturns in order to seek a better price when markets recover. Over the life of the Blue Cart program, a portion of recycling revenues have been set aside to allow The City to address volatile market conditions and situations such as this one.

We are working with Cascades Recovery to locate new potential buyers. This includes working with them to make sure The City’s end-product is as high a quality as possible. In the meantime, we are storing the affected recyclables.

The City can not speculate on how long the market will fluctuate but we will continue to monitor this evolving situation and adjust in the future if needed. Currently, we have been able to find enough storage space. What is important to remember is that it is a market fluctuation and we want citizens of Calgary to stay in the habit of recycling and keeping these materials out of the landfill.

On a positive note, The City has shipped several loads of mixed paper to alternative markets recently.

What can I do to help with recycling?

Keep on recycling acceptable items in your Blue Cart! Follow these best practices to help make sure your recyclables can be sorted properly and improve the quality of the recyclables:

• Bag your plastic bags before recycling. Stretchy plastic bags must be bundled into a single plastic bag and tied closed before going in the blue cart. Loose or single plastic bags jam sorting equipment and end up landfilled. They can also get into our mixed paper, making it harder to sell. 
• Know what can be recycled in blue cart. By putting only the right things in the recycling, it makes it easier and more efficient to sort recyclables. See the list of acceptable Blue Cart items.
• Place items in your blue cart loose. The only items that should be bagged are bundled plastic bags and separated shredded paper.
• Clean off food and other residue. Put hard-to-clean items in your dishwasher or if you wash items by hand, use the dirty dish water to clean off food residue from your recyclables to save water.
• Keep recyclables inside your blue cart and make sure the lid is pulled over. Your blue cart protects recyclables from rain, snow and wind and helps keep our communities litter-free.

Bookmark calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere in your favourites! Our online search tool lets you look up hundreds of items to find the right recycling, composting or disposal option.

9 things you should never put in your blue cart

Your blue cart is important in keeping Calgary green and clean. But not everything can be recycled in The City of Calgary’s Blue Cart program. When the wrong things are put in the blue carts it can lower the quality of the acceptable recyclables, cause health and safety concerns for your waste collector and the workers at the recycling facility and can increase costs for the recycling program.

If you’re ever not sure of what to do with an item, be sure to use our online search too, What Goes Where, to find the answer. To get you started, here are 9 things that don’t belong in your blue cart:

1) No bagged recyclables

Your recyclables must be kept loose in your blue cart in order for the machines to properly sort them at the recycling facility.

The only exceptions are plastic bags and shredded paper that needs to be bagged separately. Check out our video to see how the recycling sorting process works.

TIP: When filling your blue cart, make sure the items can easily fall out and are not packed in too tightly.

2) No Christmas trees

We do not recycle Christmas trees in the blue cart, real or fake. Artificial Christmas trees can be donated to local thrift stores or put in the black cart as garbage. Real Christmas trees can be taken to a Christmas tree drop-off or put in your green cart (which is coming soon! Learn more at calgary.ca/greencarthttp://calgary.ca/greencart).

3) No tall/oversized recyclables 

Yes, cardboard is recyclable! But tall and long items like pieces of cardboard need to be broken down into smaller pieces before recycling. When the automated arm on the collection truck picks up the cart, it will not have enough clearance for the cardboard to reach the opening and be tipped into the truck properly. Break down your cardboard and then recycle it in your blue cart.

TIP: Make sure the lid of your cart is closed to help protect the recyclables from rain and snow.

4) No to Bear Spray and other household hazardous waste

Have you ever been hit by pepper spray or bear spray? Unfortunately, the workers at the Cascades Recovery recycling facility have – twice! Household hazardous waste is a major no-no in the blue cart. While the container may seem empty, there are still residual chemicals inside that can get released.

During two separate incidents, a bear spray canister was put in for recycling and made its way into the recycling facility.  The pressurized tank went off inside the facility releasing bear spray chemicals into the air. Employees were exposed to the chemicals and required medical treatment. Fire crews were dispatched and the entire facility was evacuated for safety precautions. Material could not be processed or sorted during the closure and recycling trucks were not able to drop off material. This photo shows the punctured bear spray canister after it was safely removed from the recycling facility.

Any item with a hazard symbol on it should be considered household hazardous waste. This includes bear spray, propane tanks, automotive chemicals and more. Bring to a household hazardous waste drop-off for safe disposal.

5) No cardboard/recyclables outside of the blue cart.

All your recyclables must be inside of your blue cart for pick-up. If your blue cart is full, take your extra recyclables to a Community Recycling Depot, or save them for collection the following week. Exposure to snow and rain can reduce the quality of the recyclables, and wind creates a problem with litter in the community.

If you’re thinking of bagging your extra recyclables if your cart is full, see problem item #1.
Tip: Break down your boxes where possible. It will give you more room to put more recycling in your blue cart.

6) No electronics 

Electronics are definitely recyclable – just not in your blue cart. The Electronics Recycling program takes computers, printers and other devices at locations all around Calgary.  Visit calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere to find the right place to recycle your smartphones, DVD players and more.
PS. No cassette tapes or dirty socks either. We’d be much obliged.

7) No construction materials or scrap metal

Whether the project is big or small, take home renovation and construction material to a City landfill for proper disposal and recycling. These items do not belong in the blue cart – they can damage the collection trucks as well as the equipment at the recycling facility.

8) No DVDs and household goods

Many useable household goods like DVDs, furniture, dishes, clothing, shoes and toys can be donated to charities, given to family and friends to reuse or given away on online bartering websites like Kijiji.
Someone will want that copy of Bridget Jones’s Diary, even if you’re done with it.

9) No to “wish-cycling”

Not sure if an item should be recycled, so you just put it in anyways? Please don’t.

There’s a little bit of everything going on in this blue cart. Foam, wood and wicker baskets are not recyclable in your blue cart. “Wishing” something is recyclable doesn’t make it so. When garbage is placed in the recycling it must be removed and then landfilled which increases costs as these items have to be “double-handled” rather than being put in the garbage in the first place.

When in doubt, make sure to check it out at calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere.

Community Cleanups: save yourself a trip to the landfill

As you begin your annual cleaning, look for a Community Cleanup event near you at www.calgary.ca/cleanup.

Each year from April to September, The City partners with local community associations and their volunteers to help you dispose of unwanted household items and property waste that may not fit in your black or blue carts. Community cleanups are open to all Calgarians, regardless of residence, community or event date. If you miss the event closest to you, don’t be discouraged, as you are welcome to all others.

To avoid the inconvenience of bringing an item that is not allowed at the Community Cleanup drop-off event, please refer to the list of accepted and restricted items.

Accepted Items

Accepted items include (but are not limited to) furniture (desks, chairs, sofas, old mattresses, etc.), toilets, and recalled or broken recreational products. Yard waste is also welcome at the organic truck, including: leaves, untreated wood, and tree branches preferably in a paper bag (excluding sod), but do watch out for more information on the launch of the Green Cart program rolling out this spring.

Restricted Items 

​Garbage trucks will not accept the following items:	​Some cleanups may accept additional items for recycling. Check your community association website for details. These include:
​No car batteries	​Baby car seats
​No glass (e.g. window panes, glass table top etc.)	​Cell phone and cell phone batteries
​No household appliances with freon (e.g. refrigerator, freezer) and no microwaves	​ Paper shredding
​No liquids (e.g. cooking oil)	Home appliances (free store item)
​No large metal items (e.g. lawnmower, barbecue, etc.)	​Home electronics
​No household hazardous waste including: Propane tanks Paint  Automobile, cleaning, healthcare and gardening chemicals. These materials can be brought directly to a household hazardous waste drop-off location.	​Large pieces of furniture
No railway ties	​Scrap metal (such as BBQs, lawnmowers, filing cabinets, etc.)
​ No sod or dirt

Please note that garbage trucks at the events will NOT accept the following restricted items: metal, home electronics, home appliances, tires, bicycles, car batteries, gas, liquids, metals, propane tanks or paint. However, some community associations do arrange for special services to dispose of these prohibited items. Please check with your community association for additional disposal opportunities and recycling services for items such as electronics, metals, bicycles, baby car seats and tires, as many offer these services at the scheduled events for a small fee.

Unsure of what materials you can recycle? Utilize the comprehensive tool, What Goes Where? for facts on recycling specific items.

 
Take part in your neighbourhood’s Community Cleanup
If you’re able to help out with a cleanup or if you would like to find out more about your local event, please contact your community association.

For more information on the Community Cleanup program and the 2017 schedule, please visit calgary.ca/cleanup.

Last year, 109 Community Cleanups were held across the city with 1.44 million kilograms of waste collected (1.19 million kg in garbage and 248,000 kg in organics). A record 116 Community Cleanups are scheduled this year, so grab some waste bags and get ready to help declutter your home, garage, yard and neighbourhood.

As you’re collecting your leaves this fall, watch out for bronze leaf disease

Do you have poplar or aspen trees in your yard? When you are picking up your leaves, be on the lookout for bronze leaf disease.

What to look for

Symptoms of bronze leaf disease typically appear in late summer or early fall and may only be on a few branches or leaves.

• Symptoms may spread around the tree and dieback may occur on infected branches.
• Infected leaves turn orange-brown to reddish-brown and typically colouration starts at the edges of the leaf and moves inward toward the base.
• The colour of infected leaves varies from very bronze to chocolate brown to dull brown.
• A defining characteristic of the disease is the way that the leaf veins often remain a bright green in stark contrast to the rest of the leaf.

How to stop it


Good sanitation is the best method of controlling the disease.

• Pick up leaf litter from under the trees as soon as they drop.
• Prune out affected branches 20-30 cm (8-12 in.) into healthy wood while still attempting to maintain the tree's shape. Often, this is back to the trunk. Removal of dead and or dying trees is important as they will infect nearby trees as well.
• Fallen leaves and pruned wood should be bagged and disposed of in the garbage only.
• Do not compost or burn any infected wood or leaves.
• Do not bring infected leaves and wood to Leaf and Pumpkin Composting drop-off locations. Instead, dispose of it in the garbage or take directly to the landfill.
• If you are unsure about how/where to prune, we recommend hiring an International Society of Arboriculture-certified arborist.
• Equipment used to prune trees should be sanitized between cuts to avoid transferring the disease.
• If you suspect bronze leaf disease in a City-owned tree, contact 311.

As with all tree diseases, the best defence is a healthy tree. Visit calgary.ca/trees for healthy tree care tips.

Weekend yard work – removing tree debris from storms

With weekend highs of plus 20 degrees, many Calgarians will be out in their yards cleaning up after the past week's storms. Depending on how much tree debris you have around your house, here are some options to help you with your clean-up.

Place smaller debris in your black cart: Leaves, small branches and twigs can be placed in your black cart for regular pick-up.

Bundles branches and place next to your black cart: Cut larger branches into four foot lengths and tie into bundles with string or put them inside a garbage bag.

Bundled branches should be cut into four foot lengths.

It’s important that you make sure the bundles are manageable in size. You should be able to wrap your arms around the bundle.

After you’ve set the bundles next to your black cart for pick-up, help out your collector by making sure you’ve left enough space (approximately one foot) around the cart to ensure proper collection.

If the bundles aren’t picked up by the next collection day, please leave them out and they will be picked up in the following weeks.

Take larger tree debris to City landfills: Larger amounts of tree debris should be taken to any City landfill - Spyhill, Shepard and East Calgary. Landfills are accepting residential loads of tree debris from the past week’s storms at no charge until Sunday, August 16, 2015 (residential tree loads only). All of the tree debris brought to the landfill will be composted.

Hire a private hauler: If all else fails, you can hire a private hauler. Please note that you will be responsible for any costs incurred.

Wear proper footwear when cutting tree branches.

Stay safe: Whatever you're doing this weekend, we want you to be safe. Below are some tips to help you stay safe when cutting tree branches:

• Wear protective equipment such as:
• Goggles/safety glasses
• Gloves
• Earmuffs/ear plugs – especially if you are operating a chainsaw
• Proper footwear – flip flops just won’t work 
• Do a pre-work assessment to avoid uneven ground, broken branches and electrical wires
• If you’re using a ladder:
• Tie it off to the tree truck or a secure branch
• Use a fall protection harness
• Avoid soft, uneven ground to help prevent the ladder from slipping

For more information on how to recycle your tree branches, visit Calgary.ca.

Canada Day celebrations - Things to know

Next Wednesday, July 1, we’re throwing a huge celebration in honour of Canada’s 148th birthday and all of Calgary is invited to join us in the festivities.

Canada Day is the city’s largest single-day festival drawing crowds of 250,000 during a full day of family-friendly fun that spans across the downtown core from Fort Calgary to Prince’s Island Park and many spots in between.

With so much going on, we’ve put together a list of things you should know before heading down to celebrate.

Getting around

Walk, ride your bike or take transit to the downtown area. Plenty of bike racks have been added at various locations around downtown and you can download Calgary Transit’s new app, which makes it easy to plan trips, look up schedules and see real-time bus and train arrivals.

Free all-day shuttle buses will run between various Canada Day event sites in the downtown core including Eau Claire, Olympic Plaza and Fort Calgary from 11 a.m. until midnight. A free fireworks shuttle will run between SAIT and McHugh Bluff Park from 6 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. Pay parking is available at SAIT, however Calgarians are encouraged to take the CTrain to meet the shuttle.

Thanks to the Calgary Parking Authority (CPA), downtownCPA parkades (with the exception of the Arts Common parkade) and street parking will be free on Canada Day. Surface parking lots provided by CPA will offer a reduced Holiday Rate. But please remember there are a number of parking bans and road closures in effect to accommodate the many activities that are part of Canada Day.

What to bring

Bring your water bottle as we’ll have H2O Buggy water refill stations located at Prince's Island Park and the Riverfront Festivities. Also, don’t forget sunscreen, bug spray and a hat. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and if you’re staying for the fireworks, consider bringing a jacket for the evening.

Waste, Recycling and composting

Canada Day will offer waste and recycling stations including collection bins for beverage containers and compost stations for food scraps and napkins. You can also help keep our city beautiful by employing the ‘pack it in, pack it out’ method. This means any items brought to an event should be carried home with you for proper disposal.

We want everyone to have a safe and fun time while celebrating our nation’s birthday and look forward to welcoming Calgarians to the festivities on July 1.

For more important info on things to know for Canada Day, and for a list of all of the great activities on offer, visit Calgary.ca/CanadaDay

Submitted by Lauren Greschner, Recreation

Seven actions you can take to help the environment

Spring is here and it is a great time to help protect our precious land, air and water. Together we can make a difference. Here are seven actions that can make a big difference.


1. Attend a community tree fair

This spring, we will be hosting tree fairs at community parks all around Calgary, with free resources and demonstrations showing you how to care for your trees and plant new trees. There will also be lots of fun activities for kids, entertainment and food options. Together we can recover our trees that were damaged in the September 2014 snowstorm and help our trees grow to what they once were. For locations and dates, visit the "Events" tab of calgary.ca/trees.


2. Reduce idling

When vehicles are left running while parked, they continue to produce emissions that contribute to air pollution and climate change. Turning off the engine is a great way to reduce emissions and save money. Ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning your engine off and restarting it. If you want to start an idle free zone at your school or workplace visit calgary.ca for idle free posters that can be downloaded and printed.


3. Plant some smarty plants

This summer enjoy a beautiful yard that is easy to maintain. Smarty plants are part of The City of Calgary’s YardSmart program and are plants that don’t require a lot of water and still thrive in Calgary’s unique climate. Since summer water usage can increase by 50 per cent, becoming water and YardSmart can reduce your summer watering bill and this means more savings for you. Visit calgary.ca/yardsmart to find a list of smarty plants and other YardSmart actions.


4. Use a rain barrel

A good rain shower can quickly fill a rain barrel and provide a free source of water for your yard. Your plants will love the rain water and will flourish. Green Calgary is hosting a number of rain barrel sales this spring and summer, to see the dates and locations of the sales go to greencalgary.org.


5. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

Reducing the amount of material that gets sent to the landfill is important to everyone. Thanks to the efforts of all Calgarians, we’ve recycled more than 350,000,000 kilograms of material in the last five years. By reducing, reusing and recycling, we are doing more with less – and that is great for the environment. The City of Calgary has created a searchable online tool called What Goes Where and it has helped thousands of Calgarians find out how to give a second life to materials. Check it out at calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere the next time you are wondering where something goes.


6. Just compost it

At this time of year, nearly a third of our residential garbage is yard waste. Rather than putting your old leaves, branches, and plants in the garbage, give these materials a second life by turning them into compost. Bring your yard waste for composting to any City landfill for free until the end of May. Visit calgary.ca/springcleaning for more information on the program and landfill hours.


7. Eat local

Local food is miles better. The average meal travels 2500 kilometres to reach your plate – that’s a lot of fuel, energy and carbon emissions. Growing your own food or eating food that is produced locally is a great way to save energy and help protect the environment. The added bonus is that local food is fresher and taste great! If you're looking for more information on local food or are interested in joining a community garden, visit calgary.ca/localfood.

Please visit calgary.ca/spring to find out more information on spring in Calgary.

Spring Clean-up coming to a neighbourhood near you

Spring is in the air and that means The City’s Spring Clean-up program is coming to a neighbourhood near you. This year street sweeping officially begins Monday, April 13.

Due to warm weather in March crews were able to complete more pre-sweeping than normal. During pre-sweeping, or winter sweeping, crews gave priority to clearing high traffic volume streets where parking ban compliance has been low in years past.

Street sweeping improves safety and mobility for Calgary motorists, cyclists and pedestrians by removing sanding materials and other debris that has accumulated on roads and along major sidewalks and boulevards during the winter.

Move cars and blue, black and green carts from the road
when these signs are in your area.

Keeping Calgary clean is a collaborative effort. We are asking all Calgarians to help make the city beautiful by removing cars and blue, black and green carts from city roads when you see street sweeping signs in your community. If street sweeping and garbage collection in your neighbourhood fall on the same day, simply move blue, black and green carts onto the curb.

If gravel, dust and other debris is left behind because a car has not been moved you can sweep up the debris yourself by following these steps:

• If gravel, dust and other debris is left behind because a car has not been moved you can sweep up the debris yourself by following these steps:
• When cleaning up gravel, dust, rocks and other debris put all materials into a garbage bag and double bag it. This will help keep the air free of dust and keep garbage collection vehicles clean as well.
• Rocks and other material may be heavy and need to be double-bagged to avoid punctures and rips in the bags.
• For your garbage collector’s safety, make sure your bags are not overweight (less than 20 kg) and place all debris inside your black cart for removal.

Typically Spring Clean-up lasts until the end of June, wrapping up just in time for the Calgary Stampede.

Find more information on Spring Clean-up including when street sweeping is scheduled in your community visit Calgary.ca/sweep.

Visit whatgoeswhere.ca – your best source for disposal information

If you've bought a new TV or received a new kitchen appliance for Christmas, there’s no need to scratch your head wondering what you to do with your old gadgets. We have the answers that’ll make it a snap to do the right thing.


Visit whatgoeswhere.ca and type in your item to find all the best options for disposing of your old stuff. With responsible disposal information on more than 200 items, in many cases you’ll find alternatives other than dumping them in our landfills.


What Goes Where? will tell you which cart to use at home, or if the item is still useable it’ll link you to nearby charities where it can be donated. For other items that need to be disposed of safely or recycled elsewhere it’ll point you to locations across the city.


Help clear out the Christmas clutter and make your Christmas a little greener using the What Goes Where? tool this holiday season.

Recycling advice to keep you on Santa’s “Nice” list

We’re making a list, and checking it twice... on which materials are naughty and nice. Okay, okay that’s not how the song goes, but it’s a good reminder that while your blue cart can help you deal with a lot of the extra packaging you have around the house, not everything can be recycled.

To stay on the “Nice” list, here’s a quick guide to help with the holiday clean up.

Always Nice – put these items in your blue cart	Always Naughty – keep these items out of your blue cart
Wrapping paper (crumpled into balls) Bubble wrap (bundled inside a plastic bag) Boxes Christmas cards and envelopes Gift bags (handles removed) Tissue paper	Foam packaging Ribbons and bows Decorations and ornaments Christmas lights Plastic moulded packaging Bagged recyclables

Top three holiday recycling reminders

1. Recyclables need to be loose in your blue cart, not in bags.
If you use bags to collect all the wrapping paper and boxes, remember to empty the contents of the bags into the blue cart. Recyclables need to be loose so they can be sorted by the machines at the recycling facility.

2. Not sure if an item can be recycled? Check out whatgoeswhere.ca
What Goes Where? is an online search tool that provides donation, recycling and disposal options for your holiday items.

3. Is your blue cart full? Your options for extra recyclables:

• Break down boxes to make the best use of every square inch of space inside your cart.
• Consider hanging on to your extra recyclables for next week’s collection when you have more space in your cart.
• Bring them to a nearby community recycling depot. Keep in mind that our depots fill up quickly during the holiday season, so it’s best to take note of a couple locations in case one is full.

A difference that can be felt: Braille plaques help residents with vision loss with their garbage and recycling

Kelly Nadeau is one of the first Calgarians to receive plaques on his carts

Taking out the garbage and recycling every week is a routine task for most Calgarians. But for residents with vision loss, it’s not quite so straightforward. Telling the difference between a blue cart for recycling and a black cart for garbage can be difficult. That’s why The City of Calgary’s Waste & Recycling Services is now offering Braille plaques to help Calgarians differentiate between their carts.

“We first learned about the issue from the citizens who were affected by this,” says Waste & Recycling Services program coordinator Philippa Wagner. “We worked in partnership with Community & Neighbourhood Services to figure out the best solution. A City accessibility committee was also involved in providing feedback for the design and placement and that’s how we came up with the idea for Braille plaques.”

With many vision problems to accommodate for, the new plaques are designed to meet all those needs. They contain a large raised letter – a G for garbage and R for recycling – in high contrast to help those with limited vision. There are also raised dots included for those who read Braille. The plaques are installed on the lids of carts to help users know which cart is which.

Kelly Nadeau is the chair of the accessibility committee and one of the first residents to receive the plaques. Nadeau has a medical condition known as cone rod dystrophy that causes separation in the cones, rods, and retinas of his eyes. He is legally blind and has been living with vision loss for most of his life.

Using touch, citizens can use the lettering to tell their carts apart

“People don’t think about the small details that affect their lives. For me and my vision loss, I have to adapt,” says Nadeau. He uses his sharp memory to his advantage – before receiving the plaques he relied on keeping his carts in the exact same order and remembering the shapes of the lids and carts. With the addition of the plaques it makes it that much easier for him to tell his carts apart.

“It may seem like a small change, but it’s all about giving people options to maintain their independence. It’s great that The City of Calgary is working towards accessibility.”

Resident Kelly Nadeau speaks with City employee Philippa Wagner

Accommodation and accessibility play a big role in breaking down barriers to help people gain independence and lead the lives they want. Nadeau is a strong advocate for independent living and universal design. “We live in a society that is continually aging and will need to be accommodated for. It’s not about special needs, it’s about equal access. It’s about making it easier for everybody,” he says. Through his work on the accessibility committee, Nadeau is also helping on projects like the extension of four-car C-Train platforms and the planning for The City’s new recreation centres.

“If we can offer another tool to help people do their tasks, then it’s important for us to do,” says Wagner. “The Braille plaques are just one way The City is working to provide equal access to our programs and services.”

The plaques will be installed at no charge for anyone who needs them – contact 311 to make a request.

Final weekend for Leaf and Pumpkin drop-off locations

We’re heading into the final weekend for the annual Leaf & Pumpkin Composting Program and the last opportunity for Calgarians to make use of the convenient seasonal drop-off locations for their leaves, pumpkins and storm-damaged tree debris.

Tree debris mulching at Spyhill Landfill 

The seasonal drop-off locations across the city opened earlier than usual this year to accommodate tree debris from the snow storm in September. The last day those locations will accept leaves, pumpkins and tree debris is Sunday, November 9.

“We’re grateful to our depot hosts for helping Calgarians clean up after the storm by allowing us to open early and accept huge amounts of branches in addition to the leaves and pumpkins but now they need their space back for their community activities,” said Dave Griffiths, Director of Waste & Recycling Services.

City landfills will continue to waive fees for storm-damaged tree debris until the end of December 2014 as long as loads are not mixed with garbage and other materials. City landfills will be closed on Sundays starting November 16.

If you are unable to get to the drop-off locations or landfills, you can put small branches (no thicker than three inches and cut into three-foot lengths) inside black carts, or tie them together and set the bundle next to your cart for pick up if your bin is full. However, branches put out with the garbage will not be mulched.

Aerial view of tree debris at Shepard Landfill 

As of November 3, City landfills had received almost 23 million kg (23,000 tonnes) of tree debris from the storm cleanup. That’s more material in two months than the typical amount of yard waste received in a year for mulching and about 10 times the amount of leaves and pumpkins that are collected for composting every fall. All of the tree debris will be mulched and some will be used in City parks and trails. Waste & Recycling Services will develop a broader plan over the winter for other possible uses.

Visit calgary.ca/waste or contact 311 for landfill and drop-off locations.

Power restored to downtown Calgary

ENMAX successfully restored power to the west-end of the downtown core at 5 a.m. on Thursday, October 16. While the power is back on, ENMAX crews still have some work to do to rebuild the system and there will continue to be some lane closures in the area of 8 Street and 5 Avenue SW.

Entry to buildings will be delayed while heating, ventilation, water and other electrical systems come back on-line and are checked. To find out the status of your specific building, please contact your property manager.



Impacted Residents
Information about returning home is available at the Mewata Armoury, 801 11 Street SW (open from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. today), and on Calgary.ca. Volunteers with The Canadian Red Cross will be in the area to provide assistance as Calgarians return to their homes.

Citizens who require any additional social assistance support should contact 2-1-1.



Safety check
Once you have been given the okay to return to your residence from your property manager, please perform an immediate safety sweep. If you have natural gas appliances, heat, or fireplaces and you smell gas, leave immediately and call 9-1-1.

Check the stove and oven in particular to be sure they are off. Look for other things that may be plugged in such as irons. Carefully plug in any devices that you have unplugged, recognizing that some systems may take some time to come up and some devices may need reprogramming.

For information on troubleshooting your telephone, cable TV or Internet service contact Shaw.

Re-entry checklists for Residents, Building Owners and Managers and Commercial Businesses are available on Calgary.ca.

Water 
Tap water may be brownish in colour or contain some sediment. If this is the case, run the tap until it runs cool and clear. If the issue persists, contact your building operator.

Spoiled food
When in doubt, throw it out. If you did not clean out your fridge and freezer prior to evacuating, you should do so as a priority. Large waste bins are available at Mewata Armoury for food disposal. Spoiled food items that are securely bagged can be discarded in your regularly provided facility bin. If that bin is full or no longer accessible, residents may place their securely bagged spoiled food items on the street curb. The City of Calgary’s Waste and Recycling Services will provide special curb-side pick up service from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. today only.

Thank you
To the citizens of Calgary and those directly impacted by this outage, The City of Calgary and our partner organizations are grateful for your patience and understanding. The volunteers of Calgary continue to impress and inspire. Thank you for rallying behind your community and supporting each other.

Tree debris hits 17 million kilograms and counting

The City of Calgary and residents have worked together to remove 23,219 loads of tree debris, weighing more than 17 million kilograms (17,000 tonnes) over the past three weeks. That would cover a football field about 20 metres deep.

As the volume continues to grow, so too does The City’s resolve to keep all tree debris out of the landfills. Large grinders are currently running full steam to mulch all the incoming debris. 

The mulch will take several months to dry thoroughly and then must be screened before it is ready for use next spring. If the debris weren’t mulched, the tree branches would take up valuable space in the landfills and produce unwanted greenhouse gases and leachate.

“We’re turning the destruction of this storm into something positive,” says Dave Griffiths, director of Waste & Recycling Services. “Our plan is to return the mulch next spring or summer to City parks and trails in communities where trees were damaged. Some of it may also be used in The City’s future green cart composting facility.”

80 per cent of communities cleared

Crews and equipment from Waste & Recycling Services, Parks, Roads, Water Services and Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development continue to work seven days a week to clear communities of tree debris. They have completed debris pick-ups from the streets and back lanes of 182 Calgary communities to date. That’s 80 per cent of Calgary’s 227 communities.

Nico Bernard, manager of The City’s Tactical Operation Centre coordinating the cleanup says, “I am positive that we will be able to do one pass of all communities before the snow flies. This will allow our aerial and ground crews to more effectively address remaining tree hazards and speed up this effort.”

No fees for tree debris until Nov. 9

If your community has yet to be cleared, check the map on Calgary.ca to get an idea of when crews will be in your area. The map is updated daily. 

If you miss the cleanup crews, City landfills will continue to waive fees for debris until Nov. 9. As well, most leaf and pumpkin drop-off locations will continue to accept this type of waste until that date.

Read more about the tree cleanup in Calgary.

Submitted by Donna Bertrand, Tactical Operations Centre

Nourish your body and your mind at the "green zone"

On Thursday, September 25, Hoodoo Foodoo and Yummi Yogis will be serving up thoughtfully prepared, fresh, local fare in front of Old City Hall.

Chow down on wholesome, healthy eats between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.  Join our Facebook event for detailed updates.

Soak up the sun, and enjoy the benefits of vitamin D, with lunch and learning outside. 

City staff and Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (LEAF) representatives will be on-site to talk about recycling, composting and how to be environmentally conscious.

Submitted by Carissa Vescio, Animal & Bylaw Services

Cultural Transformation - focusing on outcomes for citizens

After two years, 200 sessions and 6,000+ engagements with City staff, Council and citizens, the Cultural Transformation Project has wrapped up.

Due to your generosity, we have documented a great deal of information to support our understanding that we are at our best when we are:

• Focused on outcomes for citizens, and
• Working together – with team members, across silos and with citizens.

Both of these cultural strengths were embedded into City Manager Jeff Fielding’s recent presentation to Council, titled Together, We are Calgary.



“It has been an absolute privilege to learn from our colleagues about who we aspire to be and, to also be honest about what stops us from working together or focusing on outcomes," says Beth Gignac, project lead. "Now that we have that knowledge, it’s time for each of us to be take our individual responsibility seriously and implement what we know into our systems and day-to-day work."

Accountability for coaching the implementation of our culture throughout our organization will soon transfer to Human Resources and examples of collaborative initiatives taking place with our front line operations staff in Parks, Roads, Waste & Recycling, and Water are being celebrated and shared.

“There is still a lot of work to be done and everyone who has contributed their ideas to the project has provided the blueprint for the way we will work together moving forward,” Gignac adds. “If anyone is interested in learning more or joining one of the communities of practice we've helped put in place I hope they won’t hesitate to contact me directly."

The Cultural Transformation Project was the largest staff engagement in The City’s history. On behalf of our organization and each participant, the team was honoured to receive the Platinum Facilitation Impact Award from the International Association of Facilitators, as well as Organization of the Year from the International Association of Public Participation.

Tree debris clean-up enters next phase

The clean-up from the snow storm is entering the next phase as crews focus on removing tree branches and debris from the hardest hit communities.

Since the storm, crews from Parks, Waste & Recycling Services, Roads and Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development have been focusing on the priority safety hazards. Parks, which is leading the cleanup effort, has identified the hardest hit communities

On Saturday, September 20, crews began doing sweeps of all residential front streets and back lanes to collect and remove tree debris starting in Renfrew, Bridgeland and Lake Bonavista.

“We will start in the communities with the greatest amount of damage from the storm and move down the list from there,” said Nico Bernard, Parks Operations Manager and leader of the cleanup effort. “Our goal is to do one complete sweep of the streets and lanes in all affected communities to remove as much debris as possible before winter weather sets in.”

Two types of crews will collect debris from communities. Light crews with rear-loader garbage trucks will pick up smaller materials while heavy crews with loaders and tandem trucks will collect the larger debris. All material collected will be mulched for future use.

Please note:

• Citizens are asked to move their vehicles off the street in the targeted communities so crews can access the piles of tree branches and debris.
• Citizens should watch for signs indicating the streets where crews are working.
• Please give crews enough space to work safely and continue to watch for hanging branches and any hazards in your neighbourhood, parks and other public spaces.

The City will post information on calgary.ca identifying which communities crews are working in and which ones are next in line.

The City thanks Calgarians for their patience and reminds citizens that City landfills will remain open extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate debris drop-off and will waive disposal fees for tree debris.

Leaf & Pumpkin drop-off locations are accepting tree debris, but we recommend taking loads directly to the landfills to minimize handling. Citizens bringing leaves to drop-offs are asked to use paper yard waste bags as they can be mulched along with the other material. Drop-off locations are for residential use only. Commercial haulers should take their loads to City landfills.

Find more information on Calgary.ca

Treat your taste buds at the “green zone” food trucks TODAY

The Aglio E ‘Olio  and Yummi Yogis food trucks will be parked in front of The City’s Administration Building (Old City Hall) TODAY. 

Come down between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and experience the fabulous food.

Aglio E ‘Olio is Calgary’s first authentic and organic pasta truck and Yummi Yogis prepare health conscious meals and offer gluten-free and dairy-free options. 

Celebrate the reappearance of summer with lunch and learning alfresco. 

City staff and Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (LEAF) representatives will be on-site to teach Calgarians about the importance of recycling, composting and simply being more environmentally conscious. Join our Facebook event for detailed updates.

We look forward to seeing you.

Submitted by Carissa Vescio, Animal & Bylaw Services

Three tips for damaged tree care

Thousands of Calgary's trees were recently damaged in an unseasonal snowstorm. City crews continue to clear the debris while actively taking steps to protect and restore our urban forest. While communities have been pitching in, picking up and pulling together, additional steps should be taken to promote healthy yards before winter.

We recommend consulting with a certified arborist, but have also created a how-to video to assist citizens with their clean-up and tree preservation efforts.



Please only attempt the following steps if you are comfortable, are familiar with the tools, and have appropriate personal protective gear. Also remember that seniors and those physically unable to clear tree debris, can connect with City Links by contacting 311.

1. Assess
Where possible, consult with a certified arborist, but you can begin the process by considering the following:

• Look up and look out to check for potential hazards.
• Is the main trunk of your tree broken? This tree likely can’t be saved and should be cut down.
• Are major limbs still remaining and the trunk unbroken? Are at least 50% of the tree’s branches still intact? If so, then there is a good chance that your tree will survive.

2. Prune
Pruning is more than just cutting off dead branches, it can help your tree grow and increase its chances of survival. Do not attempt any work that is beyond your skill and comfort levels. Visit The International Society of Arboriculture website for more information and a complete listing of certified arborists.

3. Package
There are many options available for tree collection and disposal, including visiting a City landfill, accessing one of 33 leaf & pumpkin drop-off locations, or stacking tree debris as close to the edge of your property without impeding roads, pathways or sidewalks.

For the latest updates, visit calgary.ca