Illegal dumping a growing concern for residents in NE Calgary
Posted Aug 20, 2026 4:27 pm.
Last Updated Aug 20, 2026 4:23 pm.
Illegal dumping is becoming a growing frustration for residents in northeast Calgary, where discarded sofas, mattresses and other household items are appearing with increasing frequency.
In the Saddle Ridge community, neighbours say the problem has escalated to the point where new debris shows up almost every day.
“Every morning when we wake up, you go over there, and every morning there is new stuff like sofas, bed, chairs,more dirty stuff,” says resident Sandeep Chehal.
Chehal says the dumping typically happens when streets are quiet, leaving residents feeling powerless to intervene.
“If someone sees someone doing a drop off, no one asks them anything because we don’t have any rights to ask somebody,” he says. “You can take a picture, that’s it.”
The City of Calgary acknowledged the issue in a statement, saying illegal dumping has become a growing concern across the city, particularly in the northeast, and that it has received multiple reports from Saddle Ridge.
The City warns that illegal dumping poses safety risks for both people and animals. It also notes that residential loads under 550 pounds can be taken to a Calgary landfill for $25, a cost officials say is far lower than the consequences of dumping waste illegally.
One resident suggested the City should place more waste containers at major intersections to discourage people from abandoning garbage in neighbourhoods.
Calgarians are encouraged to report illegal dumping through 311, which the City says helps identify hotspots and prioritize cleanup.
Anyone caught dumping illegally can face fines of up to $10,000 and may also be ordered to clean up the debris they leave behind.
