Unwanted pesticides & old livestock/equine medications

If you are unsure whether your product fits the scope of this collection, please call Clean Farms at 877-622-4460.

The 2025 Fall collections will happen in the Lacombe Area (Site will be announced early 2025).  Please hold onto your unwanted pesticides and livestock/equine medications for 2025 disposal.

Follow 3 steps to ensure that unwanted pesticides & old livestock/equine medications and can be returned in the fall:

1.   Gather – Collect your unwanted pesticides & old livestock/animal medications.

2.   Place – All items need to be placed in a sealable or spill-proof container.

3.   Return – Check to find when this program is taking place in your area then return items to your local collection site.

What‘s In? What’s Out?

Effective July 17, all LRWSC sites require the lids be removed from all 20L pails to be recycled.  The lids can be recycled as well once they are removed from the pail.  Please place the pail and separated lids in the appropriate areas of each site.

Twine – it’s one of the easiest ag plastics to recycle.

Of all the agricultural plastics on prairie farms, baler twine is one of the easiest to overlook when it comes to a commitment to recycle.

Unlike grain bags, which, when empty, are a massive amount of plastic laying in the field, baler twine accumulates in smaller bunches, seemingly innocuous until they start to take over a corner of the barnyard or wrap around farm equipment axles. Some farmers relegate baler twine to the burn barrel, but that’s one of the worst options for managing it because burning twine releases toxins into the air.

So, what can farmers do with used ag twine?

In Lacombe County, a pilot, ‘Alberta Ag Plastic. Recycle it!’, is underway to give farmers the option to take baler twine to all Lacombe Regional Waste Services Commission sites for recycling, giving that old twine a new life.

Cleanfarms, which operates the pilot program on behalf of Alberta’s Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG), sends the used baler twine to recycling facilities in Canada and the U.S., where it is turned into pellets to be used in the production of new materials. Twine is made of polypropylene, which is a­­­­ plastic that can be easily remanufactured into new products such as car parts, dimensional lumber, flowerpots and composite decking.

How to Prepare Twine for Recycling

The pilot program enables twine recycling by offering large, free, twine collection bags. The next three steps are straightforward:

1. Shake – Remove as much debris, snow or ice as possible. Excessive organics and other materials (such as net wrap) mixed with the twine will cause it to be rejected or result in the material being sent to the landfill. Recycling processors wash and shred the plastic, so they need it as clean as possible.

2. Bag – Place loose twine in a clear collection bag. They are available at no cost to farmers and can be obtained from all Lacombe Regional Waste Services Commission sites. If using your own clear bag, poke holes in the bottom to drain moisture. With any bag, once full, secure it closed with twine or a zip tie.

3. Return – Please return your clean, full bags of twine to any Lacombe Regional Waste Services Commission site.

The Following dates are the Board Meetings at the LRWSC Administration Building at 1:15pm.

February 28, 2024

April 24, 2024

June 26, 2024

August 21, 2024

October 16, 2024

November 20, 2024

Approved minutes are available from each meeting by request at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or through your local municipality.

Battery Recycling

Please note that as of May 1, 2022, the ePilot program has expanded to include all household batteries from electronics and ePilot materials. The ePilot program includes over 500 items with a power cord and/or battery.  The ePilot program had previously accepted only loose power tool batteries as they were easily identifiable as an ePilot product.

As of May 1, 2022, LRWSC, at no charge, will accept all loose household single use and rechargeable batteries. These loose batteries will be included in the ePilot collection program.

What is a Household battery?

All consumer single use or rechargeable batteries weighing less than 5 kg each can be recycled.

Single use (non-rechargeable) batteries - includes lithium primary batteries and alkaline/single-use household batteries. These batteries are commonly found in watches, car remotes, TV remote controls, and calculators.

Rechargeable batteries include Nickel cadmium batteries, Small sealed lead acid batteries, Nickel zinc batteries, Nickel metal hydride batteries, Lithium ion / lithium polymer batteries, commonly found in cellphones, digital cameras, laptop computers, cordless power tools, toy ride-on vehicles and other household appliances.

For more details on battery types please see the Call2Recycle https://www.call2recycle.ca/batteries/

Safely store, sort, and ship

If not handled properly, batteries can be a fire hazard.

Some best practice suggestions are:

• Taping over the ends (positive and negative terminals) of each individual lithium battery and button style batteries.

• Separate your taped lithium batteries by putting inside a Ziploc bag and sealing shut.

• Taping off the ends of your lithium and button batteries will ensure that they cannot touch each other to prevent a fire from occurring.

What happens to recycled batteries? According to Call2Recycle, when batteries are recycled at various processors, valuable metals can be recovered and used into new products such as silverware, pots and pans, new batteries, and even golf clubs.

LRWSC accepts ePilot program materials at the following sites:

Eckville Transfer Station

Bentley Transfer Station

Alix/Mirror Transfer Station

Prentiss Transfer Station

Please inform the site attendant that you have ePilot program batteries for correct placement of materials at each site.

For more information, call Prentiss Transfer Station (403) 782-8970.

In January 2022 it was announced that the <23L Agricultural pesticide and fertilizer container recycling program will transition from a municipal-based collection model to a retail-based collection model across the province of Alberta over the next three years.

Lacombe Regional Waste Services Commission currently has three sites that accept the <23L containers (Eckville, Alix/Mirror, and Prentiss).  All three of LRWSC sites will discontinue accepting these containers as of December 31, 2024.

Retailers will transition to accepting these containers for recycling by December 31, 2024.

Effective immediately and up to December 31, 2024, LRWSC is asking that all containers brought to our sites must be triple rinsed, labels removed, and bagged.  Bags are available from your retailer, and LRWSC sites that accept the containers.

For further info contact your agricultural chemical retailer or LRWSC @ (403)782-8970.

Click on the link below for a printable form of what waste and recycled items are accepted at each of our sites. (UPDATED May 13, 2022)

Site Accepted Items.pdf

Beginning September 1, 2020, the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) initiated its two-year expanded residential electronics pilot project.  It was announced in September 2022 that the program will continue.  Included in the pilot project will be audio visual equipment, telecom, cell phone and wireless devices, electronic gaming equipment, small home appliances, portable power tools, toys, musical instruments, and small solar panels.  There will be no charge to recycle these items for the duration of the pilot.  With the data that ARMA will gather from this project, they will be able to provide the government with critical information that will help to determine the best course of action to modernize the electronics recycling program for the long term.  Please visit https://armaepilot.com/ to learn more about the pilot project.

LRWSC asks that the public keep the expanded electronics recycling items separate from computers, laptops, printers, monitors, and TV's and follow the attendants instructions of where to place these items when bringing to the following sites:

Eckville Transfer Station

Bentley Transfer Station

Prentiss Transfer Station

Alix/Mirror Transfer Station

Please note that this project is for residentially used electronics only, commercial items will not be accepted.  Residential Air Conditioner units are only accepted at the Eckville and Prentiss sites and are subject to the current charges and procedures outlined under those sites.