changes coming to regina's recycling program, including fines for banned materials in blue bins
regina residents can expect small changes to the items allowed in their blue recycling carts as the city looks to join the provincial processing model.
3 minute read
blue recycling carts stand next to garbage bins in an al ritchie neighbourhood ally on thursday, february 27, 2025 in regina.
kayle neis
/
regina leader-post
a few minor changes are coming for regina residents this summer as the city plans to hand part of its curbside recycling program over to the provincial steward.
beginning june 1, the city of regina will shift responsibility for the sorting and processing steps in its recycling model to sk recycles, the provincial program that is also contracted by sarcan for a small portion of its recycling needs.
that will mean small adjustments to what residents can and cannot put in their city-provided blue carts — along with fines for unapproved materials — but the overall changes should not interrupt collection in any major way.
why change processors?
city council approved the switch on feb. 26, as its contract with processor emterra environmental was set to expire at the end of june 2025.
the new model with sk recycling promises to cut approximately $1.6 million in annual costs for the city, a savings that residents can expect to see adjusted on their waste user fees in 2026.
because sk recycles already gives the city a per-household subsidy to cover the costs of collecting recyclables, this moves regina to a full cost-recovery model for its curbside program.
what does it mean for your blue carts?
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the city of regina will still handle curbside collection and cart maintenance services for residents, so pick-up schedules are to remain exactly the same.
the biggest change is what comes after: all recycled materials will be going to the province’s sorting facility for processing instead of the city’s contracted facility, beginning in june.
since sk recycles will handle the sorting process, some changes are coming in terms of what materials can and cannot be tossed into blue carts.
starting june 1, residents will be able to recycle a number of new plastic and paper-type items, including gift bags, disposable coffee cups, plastic hangers, paper food containers, paper plates and bowls and more.
glass, however, will no longer be allowed, as sk recycling doesn’t accept such material from curbside sources due to the risk of breakage.
also new is a set of fines for tossing materials into your cart that are not approved. the city has not enforced this before, but is now introducing a three-violation fine schedule for repeat offenders.
fines will start at $150 for a first violation and go up to $250 for a third violation, imposed on those who set their carts out for collection with items not on the list of allowed materials.
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sk recycles already levies its own fines anytime a municipality’s load of materials is delivered with a contamination rate of more than six per cent. those range from $120,000 to $600,000 per year.
regina has averaged a contamination rate of 12 per cent, prompting the city to implement deterrent measures for residents.
an educational campaign to explain the new list of allowable materials will be coming soon, ahead of the program’s start.
editor’s note: a previous version of this story contained errors and was corrected on feb. 28, 2025. recycled materials will be going to the province’s sorting facility for processing instead of the city’s contracted facility. sarcan contracts sk recycles for a small portion of its recycling needs.
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