Raymond residents will have a new way to recycle starting October 1, 2026, when curbside pickup launches right at their doorsteps. The service, managed by Circular Materials, is part of Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility program and will accept a wider range of items than the town’s current depot.
The change means every household in Raymond can set out glass containers, foam packaging, flexible plastics, and aerosol cans along with the usual cardboard, paper, and metal containers. Until now, residents have mostly relied on the Recycling Centre at the Waste Management Centre or a volunteer curbside service run by SASH-Raymond Recycling, a group supporting people with disabilities.
Raymond qualified because it already had curbside garbage pickup before the April 1, 2025 deadline set by the province. According to Circular Materials, communities that introduced curbside garbage collection by April 1, 2025, are eligible to receive curbside recycling services starting October 1, 2026. Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit, is rolling out the same system across Alberta, so the list of accepted materials will match what people recycle in Edmonton or Calgary.
The new program shifts costs away from the town and taxpayers. Under the EPR framework, companies that produce packaging and paper products now fund and run recycling. Rebecca Schulz, who was Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Protected Areas when the program launched, said the system “will keep more waste out of landfills while saving communities and taxpayers money.”
Raymond’s population has climbed to about 4,600, a 14.7 percent jump over five years, and the curbside option arrives as more households look for convenient recycling. Residents can still use the depot or the SASH-Raymond service, but the town expects the no-cost curbside pickup to quickly become the go-to choice when it begins in October.
