Environmental Services

Garbage
View information about garbage collection, recycling, and waste management facilities.
Recycling
Find information about recycling and recycling facilities serving Red Deer County.
Take It or Leave It Program
Have an item you don’t want, but is still in good condition? The Take It or Leave It program allows county residents to leave items that other residents can take free of charge. The Take It or Leave It program is another step in Red Deer County’s efforts to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills. 

The Take It or Leave It building is located at the Horn Hill Waste Transfer Facility (NE33-36-27-W4
1 mile east of Highway 2). Items going into the facility as “leave it” are subject to the current fee schedule for residential waste, however, items removed from the facility as “take it” are free of charge. Examples items include: coffee tables, TV stands, furniture, any working appliances or electronic items, lawn furniture, etc. Please note, the designated Take It or Leave It area is the only area of the facility from which items can be removed. Scavenging for materials in other areas of the waste management facility is strictly prohibited.

If there are any questions on how the program works, feel free to speak to the scale house attendant for further clarification and direction.

For more information on this program, please call Andy Treu at 403.357.2365.

How It Works
Leave It
  • Scale your vehicle in and out and pay for your load according to the current fee schedule.
  • Rather than dumping your item(s) on the waste tipping floor, place it in the designated Take it or Leave it building.
  • The facility operators have the authority to monitor items being left behind and will ultimately determine if they are fit for the program or not.
  • After items have been dropped off, proceed to the scale to weight out. Proceed into the scale house and pay accordingly.
Take It
  • If you are using the waste management facility, you are able to enter the Take it or Leave it building to browse through items
  • You are welcome to load and remove these items from the facility, at no charge.
  • If you brought material into the facility, you are required to weigh in and weigh out. Items removed for the Take it or Leave it building may offset the weight of your outgoing load, and therefore reduce the price you will pay at the scale.
  • After weighing out, please proceed to the scale house for payment (if necessary) and indicate to the attendant what items are being removed as per the Take it or Leave it program.
Adopt-A-Road Program
Two miles, three times a year, for three years is all it takes. Individual volunteers or groups are encouraged to become partners with Red Deer County in this unique program. County staff provide guidance to make sure clean-up activities are safe for volunteers. You set the schedule for roadside clean-ups and gather litter along your adopted community road. Our Roads Program maintenance crews pick up and dispose of the litter collected. Adopt-A-Road signs will recognize your group, family, or the name of a loved one. It's that easy. 

All agreements and application forms for the Adopt-A-Road program are available on our Forms page.

Anti-Litter Tips

Report a spot where garbage has been dumped or if you have witnessed someone dumping garbage and would like to report the violation. Remember! Littering is a convictable offence. Please help keep Red Deer County “Clean and Beautiful”.
Barbed WireBarbed Wire Recycling Program
From May 1 until September 30, Red Deer County residents can recycle barbed wire and strand wire at the Horn Hill Solid Waste Transfer Facility for no charge. Costs will be covered by Red Deer County for the first participants until 50 tonne of wire is reached. After that, the current residential tipping fee will be charged.

For more information, call Andy at 403.350.2150.

Requirements To be Accepted
  • Barbed wire must be tightly wound and wrapped.
  • Strand wire must be tightly wrapped and bundled.
  • All wire must be clean of debris such as fence posts, dirt, agriculture wrap, etc.
  • All delivered loads must be inspected by on-site staff prior to unloading.

Twine Is Now Accepted

Twine
Bale twine will now be accepted at Horn Hill Waste Transfer Station, Gaetz Creek Waste Transfer Station and Yankee Flats Waste Transfer Station at no charge.

Material can be placed in clearly marked bins at any of these sites during regular operating hours. Ask the site attendant for directions and for more information about the program.

Please be aware of the following criteria when dropping off twine:
• Twine must be free from silage wrap, net wrap, mud and other contaminants.
• A small amount of contaminants (less than 5% by volume) in the form of grass, hay, etc. will be accepted. This is at the sole discretion of the site attendant.
• Twine can be either be collected and delivered to site and dropped off in specially marked containers, or:
• Specially marked, clear plastic bags can be picked up at either of the three sites. These clear bags are for this program only and allow the operator to inspect the twine when the bags are brought back to the facility full.
Water SprinklerMandatory Water Conservation
May 1 to September 30, Inclusive for all businesses and residents that are connected to municipal water utility.
Customers may not water lawns, gardens, yards, or grounds between the hours of noon and 7:00 PM.
  • Customers with odd numbered house or building numbers may water their lawns, gardens, yards, or grounds on odd numbered days of the calendar month.
  • Customers with even numbered house or building numbers may water their lawns, gardens, yards, or grounds on even numbered days of the calendar month.
  • Customers with new lawns or newly seeded lawns may water daily, within the approved daily time allotments, for a period not to exceed six weeks.
If you have any additional questions, please call 403.350.2150.