Hauler WM will open a new preconditioning recycling facility (PCF) in Edmonton in early 2027, bringing advanced optical sorting to Alberta as Circular Materials prepares to add materials to the province’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) program this fall.
Under Alberta’s EPR model, producers – the brands and retailers supplying packaging to consumers – now bear the cost of recycling, shifting the financial burden away from municipalities and taxpayers.
Circular Materials is Alberta’s packaging EPR PRO, or producer responsibility organization. The nonprofit is tasked with implementing the province’s program as it transitions to a fully producer-funded system designed to divert recyclable materials from landfill, a rollout that has occurred in two phases.
Phase 1 launched April 1, 2025, welcoming more than 200 communities into the EPR system and covering roughly 90% of the province’s population. At that time, financial responsibility for curbside recycling shifted from municipalities to producers.
Phase 2, which takes effect October 1, 2026, builds on that foundation by onboarding communities that previously had depot-only service or no collection at all. It also introduces a unified material list intended to standardize what’s accepted across municipalities, eliminating the patchwork of local rules that has long confused residents.
Newly accepted materials will include glass containers, foam packaging, flexible plastic packaging, aerosol containers and laminated paper and plastic packaging.
The WM facility is designed to handle that expanded scope. Unlike a traditional MRF, which receives commingled recyclables and sorts them into market-ready commodity streams, a PCF prepares mixed materials for more efficient downstream processing
It will use near-infrared and advanced optical sortation systems, including integrated conveyor and sorter technology that allows equipment to communicate in real time with technicians. WM will own and operate the facility, with costs covered by producers under the EPR framework.
“This represents another step as Alberta moves forward on Extended Producer Responsibility,” said the Honorable Grant Hunter, Alberta’s minister of environment and protected areas, in a statement. Hunter added that the partnership “will help develop a streamlined recycling system supported by advanced sorting technology.”
“By leveraging advanced sorting technology and WM’s operational expertise, this facility is designed to improve material recovery, broaden the range of accepted recyclables over time, and help advance a circular economy,” said Tracy Black, president of WM Canada, in a statement.
Allen Langdon, Circular Materials CEO, added to Black’s comments, saying: “Investing in advanced infrastructure enables us to build a more efficient and reliable system, accelerate innovation and deliver better environmental results for residents, communities and producers across the province.”
