The City of Airdrie is encouraging even the youngest Airdronians to participate in the recycling process. The Airdrie Recycling Depot recently introduced mini blue carts that are better known as “baby carts".

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The carts are for when children come to the depot so they can help give their parents a hand. It almost goes without saying that the carts sure are cute and they are the real deal. They come fully equipped with everything the tots will need to be a mini recycler. The carts even come with a flag that says “Recycler in training”.

With the Airdrie population growing, there are more young families going to the recycling depot; the trips feel like a family outing at times. The idea for the baby bins came about when some of the recycling depot workers saw children struggling while they were trying to help their parents push the big carts. 

The baby carts have been set up to help increase the amount of recycling and to hopefully make the youth see a greener way of doing things as they go through life.

“We just thought by starting them young, it helps them with make recycle[ing] a lifelong habit; we really want to get them involved,” said Shelley Slevinsky, Operations Coordinator with waste and recycling with the City of Airdrie. 

Parents are welcome to email a photo of their little ones (ages three years old to nine years old) using the mini carts for a chance to win a prize for a toy recycling truck by the end of March. 

“We're just super excited and we're just really hoping to promote a lot of the young children to come to the depot,”  Slevinsky added.  

Airdrie introduced its full-size blue bins a couple of years ago. Since then, the amount of recycling has increased due to the fact it is much easier to transport the recyclables to their designated bins.  

Things that can go into blue charts  

  • Paper Items: Cups ( no straw or lids), Newspaper  

  • Cardboard: normal cardboard boxes (not lining), boxes( tissues, cereal) 

  • Plastic Containers: Shampoo bottles, produce containers ( clamshell container ex: berry containers)  

  • Plastic bags and film: bread bag, Grocery bag 

  • Metal containers: cans, jar lids, foil  

  • Food Glass jars/containers  

The Airdrie recycling depot offers more than just the average recycling. Airdrie residents are welcome to bring hazardous products and electronics products to be recycled safely and properly.

There is also a special recycling program that offers different recycling/disposal per season. During the end of fall, people are welcome to take their pumpkins and used jack-o-lanterns and get rid of them there. When it gets to the end of the year Airdrieonians can get rid of their Christmas trees.  

You can find the recycling depot location at 21 East Lake Hill.

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