Strathcona County launches Extended Producer Responsibility program

On April 1, 2025, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program will go into effect in Strathcona County. As part of the program residents will see expanded recycling options, including plastic clamshell containers and plastic takeout containers, and receive a credit on their utility bills.

“This program represents a major step forward for our community,” says Rod Frank, Mayor of Strathcona County. “Not only does it transfer the responsibility of disposing of materials to the producer, but importantly it also allows us to return to our residents with a $3.75 monthly credit and more recycling options.”

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental and economic policy approach in which producers of products and packaging bear responsibility for ensuring those products and packages are properly managed at the end of their life cycle.

The EPR program shifts the responsibility of collecting, sorting, and processing recycling away from municipal governments and taxpayers to the producers.

The EPR program will also eventually standardize recyclable materials throughout Alberta. For Strathcona County residents that means that plastic clamshells and takeout containers will once again be accepted for recycling in the blue bags at curbside, and at the recycling depots at Broadview, Ardrossan and South Cooking Lake.

Key highlights of the EPR program include:

• More plastic recycling: plastic clamshell containers and plastic takeout containers will now be accepted for recycling, reducing landfill waste.
• Cost savings: Reduced municipal costs for waste management, which means residents will receive a $3.75 credit on their bills.
• Better for the environment: Encouraging producers to design eco-friendly, recyclable products and promoting circular economy principles.

Strathcona County has been actively involved in advocating for an EPR policy in Alberta since 2018. Both as a way to advance the circular economy within the County and support the goals of our 10-Year Waste Roadmap.

Visit strathcona.ca/Recyclingto learn more.  

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