community goals

 By 2030, the Town of Canmore seeks to divert 60% of our community's organic waste from the landfill, reduce solid waste by 40% per capita, reduce construction waste by 50%, and reduce commercial/institutional waste by 30%.

By 2028, the Town of Banff aims to reach 70% waste diversion community-wide wide, with a larger goal of zero community-wide waste to landfill by 2050.

Refuse, Rethink, redesign, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

We need to stop thinking of any material as being waste. Plastics, food scraps, wood, and metals are valuable, useful resources. By following this zero-waste hierarchy, you can keep resources out of the landfill and help preserve valuable materials for new generations.

Here is a fantastic map of local initiatives reducing waste and participating in the Circular Economy.

Refuse, Rethink, Redesign

The most efficient way to drive down waste is to avoid consumption in the first place. This step includes all efforts that stop waste from happening, from behavior change to rethinking business models to make them waste free by design. Purchasing bulk items at the grocery store, taking shareable transport, or going digital in your business receipts are a few great examples

reduce

Where you cannot avoid a new purchase, reduce overall consumption. This way, we lower the demand for raw materials, energy use, water use, and ultimately the amount of recycling that must be processed. Some easy ways to start reducing the amount of waste you produce include:

  • Do a mini autopsy of your waste bin: Which materials do you see? What tweaks could you make to your daily rituals to reduce what you found? It’s easier to reduce when you understand what sort of waste you produce.

  • Refuse to buy or carry products that are not durable or easily repairable. Invest in higher value, longer-living products that are designed to last.

  • Where you cannot eliminate, rethink about substituting products and materials that can have another life. For example, products that can be recycled, composted, or reused rather than disposable single-use items.

  • Avoid disposable single use products like plastic shopping bags and bottled water. Take reusable shopping bags to the store with you. Invest in a reusable water bottle and enjoy our cold mountain water from the tap.

  • Use rechargeable batteries and a charger. Remember to properly dispose of all batteries at the Boulder Recycling Depot or Banff Waste Transfer Site. Don’t throw them in the garbage: batteries contain heavy metals and toxins need to be disposed of properly.

  • Do you really need all that paper? Sign up for electronic billing, and cancel junk mail.

reuse

Keep good things in circulation! When you have unwanted items, give them the chance to find a new home. Then, when you are in search of something new, consider purchasing previously loved items and make use of them yourself. Reusing is a great way to extend the life of our resources while saving money.

Garage Sales

There is an active market for buying, selling, and trading used goods in the Bow Valley, with seasonal equipment swaps, garage sales, and internet sites and groups. Check for garage sales in the local newspaper, on Facebook, on kijiji.ca, or just look for the signs in your neighbourhood!

Seasonal Gear Swaps and Sales

Some of the local sports clubs and stores in Canmore offer annual gear swaps and sales (in exchange for a commission fee or store credit). These can be a great way to buy or sell some quality used gear. Check out:

  • Rundle Mountain Bike Swap

  • Canmore Nordic Ski Club Ski Swap

  • Banff Alpine Racers Ski Swap

  • Rebound Cycle/Unlimited Tent Sale and Bike Swap

  • SkiUphill Annual Gear Swap

  • Banff Community Rummage Sale

Online Groups

There are a number of local websites and Facebook groups dedicated to buying, selling, or exchanging items. Accessing these groups may require registering for account (to limit non-local or spam postings). Some of the popular local groups and sites include:

  • Bow Valley Freecycle (donate or pick up free items)

  • Kijiji Banff/Canmore (buy or sell items)

  • Pass It On (pass along items others might need)

  • Facebook Buy and Sell Groups (there are a number of active groups including Canmore Buy and Sell, Canmore-Banff Buy and Sell, and Bow Valley Buy, Sell, Give, Take)

  • Bow Valley Gear Loft

  • Canmore Climbing Loft

  • Bow Valley Women's Clothing Swap

  • Facebook Marketplace (will also facilitate cross-posting items on multiple groups)

Food donations and food recovery

Surplus food is a valuable resource, but significant quantities of edible food are thrown out in the Bow Valley. Food waste is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Taking stock of the food you already have, making a meal plan and using food before it expires will save you money and reduce your waste. You can also help reduce edible food waste by dropping off or picking up food at:

  • The Bow Valley Food Bank: Accepts donations of non-perishable food at drop boxes located at Safeway and Save-on-Foods in Canmore. The Food Bank offers emergency food assistance to individuals and families in need.

  • The Canmore Food Recovery Barn: Collects surplus food from local grocery stores. Food is distributed every Tuesday at 5:30pm and Thursdays at 7pm at the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church near the Canmore Hospital. If you're in Banff, check out Banff Food Rescue.

  • Banff Food Rescue: Keeps Good Food from Becoming Food Waste. Individuals can pick-up a pre-made bag of fruit and veggies. Suggested donation $5. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-7pm. 215 Banff Ave Lower level Sundance Mall.

RECYCLE

Recycling is the final step in the waste hierarchy, before disposal in the landfill. While recycling is a great way to recover valuable resources, it is still an expensive and energy intensive process making it less preferable than higher levels of the waste hierarchy. So try to Reduce or Reuse before Recycling.

Household Recycling

The Town of Canmore the Town of Banff, and the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission offer a wide array of programs for recycling, waste diversion and resource recovery. The Town of Canmore and Town of Banff have installed animal-proof blue recycling bins beside many of the brown neighbourhood garbage bins. You can separate your recycling and deposit it in one of these neighbourhood animal-proof recycling bins, or bring it to one of several community recycling locations (see below) that offer additional recycling options.

The Town of Canmore provides lots of details about recycling on its website, and the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission has produced a handy guide to residential recycling in the Bow Valley.

Community Recycling Locations

There are two permanent recycling facilities and one refundable beverage facility in Canmore:

Save-On-Foods Depot: At 950 Railway Avenue (Canmore Crossing), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A selection of common household recyclables such as metal food cans, glass, cardboard, paper, and plastic are accepted at this location. Please clean and separate recyclables into the appropriate bin.

Boulder Recycling Depot: At 115 Boulder Crescent in the Elk Run Industrial area, open 8 am - 5 pm, 7 days a week. Recyclables such as metal food cans, glass, cardboard, paper, and plastic are accepted at this location, along with the following materials:

  • Used oil and glycol (antifreeze) products and containers

  • Automotive batteries

  • Rechargeable/non-rechargeable batteries

  • Bicycle tires

  • Fluorescent light tubes and ballast

  • Paint cans

  • Household hazardous waste

  • Bear spray

  • Electronic waste – computer equipment, televisions, cell phones, and other household electronic items.

Canmore Bottle Depot: At 103 Boulder Crescent in the Elk Run Industrial area, open 9:30 am - 4:30 pm, Tuesday – Saturday. The Bottle Depot accepts refundable beverage containers such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, tetra-paks, milk jugs and cartons.

Green Bottle Depot Banff: The Bottle Depot is located at 152 Eagle Crescent, Banff, AB. Accepted beverage container types and refunds at the Depot include aluminum, PET, plastics, glass, tetra brik, gable top, bi-metal, pouches. A full list off accepted materials can be viewed at https://albertadepot.ca/recycling-101/container-types-and-refunds/.  

Town of Banff Waste Transfer Site: The Transfer Site is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. except public holidays. The last load is accepted at 3:15 p.m. Drop-offs are free for residents, excluding construction waste. Fees will apply for non-residential and out-of-town deliveries

Skip the Depot: Allows you to schedule home pickup of refundable containers with the option to donate the proceeds to a charity of your choice. Click below to schedule a pickup and donate to the Biosphere Institute!

Additional Garbage and Recycling Programs

The Town of Canmore, the Town of Banff, and the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission operate several additional programs for garbage, recycling and waste diversion, including:

Christmas trees: Seasonal disposal of Christmas trees (decorations removed) is available until mid-January at the Boulder Recycling Depot, Quarry Lake parking lot, Benchlands Trail lower parking lot, and the 17th Street/Fairholme pull out.

Yard waste and brush: Yard waste and other materials such as leaves, grass (no soil or invasive weeds), and brush may be dropped off at the Boulder Recycling Depot between April and November. These materials are transported to the Francis Cooke Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre in Exshaw to be chipped and used as mulch or composted.

Dry waste: For a fee, the Francis Cooke Landfill accepts construction, renovation and demolition waste, tires, asphalt, concrete, appliances, cardboard, concrete, metal, pressure treated wood, scrub and brush.  Where possible, these materials are diverted from the landfill and reused for other purposes or recycled.

Flying Pigs Recycling: This private business offers commercial and residential pickup of recyclables for a fee.

GARBAGE AND Wildlife

Bow Valley residents share the land with grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, cougars, coyotes, and other wildlife. As a result, curbside pick-up of household garbage and recycling is prohibited in Canmore and Banff. Outdoor composting of food waste is also prohibited. When wild animals access garbage or other non-natural food sources, they can become habituated and aggressive towards people. This creates a public safety concern and these animals often have to be relocated or euthanized.

Since 1998, Canmore has operated a system of animal-proof garbage bins, including both large neighbourhood bins and smaller pedestrian bins. The installation of the animal-proof bins has significantly reduced the number of bear and garbage incidents in the community. Place your garbage and recycling in neighbourhood animal-proof bins, or bring it to one of several community drop-off locations. Smaller pedestrian garbage and recycling bins are provided on sidewalks and pathways throughout Canmore and Banff.

Living smart with wildlife is our responsibility. Visit our WildSmart program page to learn more about what you can do.

Thanks to Christopher Vincent, Jim Ridley, Christian Dubois, Charlie Bredo and the Town of Canmore, and Katie Reeder from the Town of Banff for their help in preparing these materials.