Waste Reduction
Creating less waste not only saves money but helps to keep our community clean and green. When practicing the three R’s, try to reduce and reuse first before you recycle.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize single use items and food waste. Every action counts!
Reduce
- Remember to bring reusable bags when grocery shopping. Try to keep a couple heavy-duty bags in the car and some light fold-up ones in a day bag
- Take a paperless coffee break. Use a reusable mug
- When offered, decline promotional and single-use items that you don’t need. It’s as easy as saying, “No straw please”
- Give experiences and share memories that don’t need wrapping (e.g. memberships and classes)
- Purchase products with less packaging
- Plan out your meals and use a shopping list to reduce food waste
- Leave grass clippings on your lawn
Reuse
- Repair items if you can before replacing them
- Pack waste-free lunches
- Purchase items second-hand
- Donate items you no longer use to charity
Recycle
- Use your blue cart or a Big Blue Bin depot to recycle acceptable items
- Compost food scraps and yard waste at home by using a backyard composter
Did you know?
Canadians use up to 15 billion plastic bags every year. On average, a plastic bag is used for only 12 minutes. Plastic bags are not recyclable in the blue cart and should be placed in the garbage.
In one year, the average Canadian coffee drinker will use 255 disposable coffee cups. Coffee cups are not recyclable and should be placed in the garbage.
About one-third of the plastics used in Canada are for single-use or short-lived products and packaging. Plastics such as straws, cutlery, Styrofoam bags and wrappers are not recyclable and should be placed in the garbage.
Let’s all take simple steps to reduce our waste because together we make a big difference.
Not sure where to put an item?
Check out the Waste Wizard tool to find out how to properly dispose or donate common waste items.
Holiday Waste Reduction Tips
Make memories, not waste this holiday season.
Low Waste Gift Ideas
This year try giving an experience! Memories created from shared experiences are priceless. You will also help keep your loved ones living places clutter-free!
- Subscription – Audible, Spotify, Netflix etc.
- Parks Canada pass
- Online music lesson
- Online Personal trainer
- Gift certificate to a local ice cream shop
- Guided snowmobile tour
- Virtual escape room
- Online Embroidery Workshop
- Family photography session
- Skating
- Spa or salon gift card
- Car detailing
Tips for Waste-Free Wrapping
Wrapping gifts with single-use wrapping paper can create a lot of waste! Try these tips to reduce waste and still have festive gifts.
- Reuse last year’s gift bags, ribbons and bows
- Cloth napkins
- Scarves
- Old maps
- Newspaper
- Reusable string and cloth ribbon to avoid tape
Holiday Waste – What Goes Where?
After gifts have been opened, find out how to properly sort common holiday items. Do they belong on the naughty or nice list? Check the Waste Wizard tool to learn more.
Recyclable Items
- Wrapping paper (non-foil)
- Paper cards
- Gift bags (non-laminated paper)
- Cardboard boxes (flattened)
- Envelopes
- Plastic and glass containers, bottles and jars
- Cans and aluminum trays
Garbage Items
- Wrapping paper with foil, glitter or embellishments
- Card with foil, glitter or embellishments
- Gift bag (coated, laminated or plastic)
- Plastic gift card
- Bubble wrap
- Bows & ribbons
- Styrofoam
- Tissue paper
- Padded envelope
- Plastic air-pack
- Food waste
- Christmas tree (artificial)
Yard Waste Depot
- Christmas trees - Natural
Special drop off – No curbside collection
- Christmas lights (indoor & outdoor)
- Electronics
- Batteries
Education Presentations & Workshops
If you are a classroom, workplace or community group interested in a presentation or workshop about waste reduction and diversion, recycling, composting or anything waste related, use our online request form.
Chose from presentations including Backyard Composting, Blue Cart Recycling Program or Regina Recycles! Roam & Explore Stations.
Backyard Composting
Learn how you can send your waste to a better place by composting! Get tips on reducing the amount of food waste your home produces, how to build an outdoor composter, and what material you can compost, along with a list of trouble-shooting tips.
Blue Cart Recycling Program
Why is it important to recycle the right stuff? Take our waste and recycling sorting challenge and see if you’re a super sorter. Learn what happens to your recyclables inside the Blue Cart.
Regina Recycles! Roam and Explore Stations
Attendees (children and families) will explore different recycling stations set up by the City of Regina staff. Games and activities can include:
- Find out what happens to your garbage, and where it goes after it leaves your home.
- How do you reduce, reuse and recycle? Participants will create a reminder bracelet to take home.
- Take our waste and recycling sorting challenge and see if you're a super sorter!
- See recyclable materials in their various stages. See and touch the products and learn what happens when they are recycled.
- Go on a scavenger hunt to solve waste and recycling trivia.
The City of Regina offers school age presentations based on the Saskatchewan Science Curriculum.
Think Outside the Trash!
Let’s explore the world of recycling! What goes inside your Blue Cart? Why is it important to put waste in its proper place? Through hands-on activities, participants will learn about the 3Rs and why it is important to recycle the right stuff to keep the environment clean and safe.
Age/Grade Group: Grade One/Two/Three
Trash Tracker
Follow your recycling! What happens in a Materials Recovery Facility? What do recycled items become? Through a miniature Waste Audit, participants will learn the journey of recycling and why it is important to recycle the right stuff. All materials are supplied by City staff.
Age/Grade Group: Grade Four/Five
Life of a Landfill
What is a landfill and why should we care about where our garbage goes? City staff will bring a diorama of a landfill and teach students the different layers required to keep a landfill running efficiently! Your class will split into four teams and discuss the pros and cons of opening a new landfill, brainstorm ideas on what to do when a local landfill needs to be closed and come up with alternatives to building a landfill. All materials are supplied by City staff.
Age/Grade Group: Grade Six/Seven/Eight
The Boardroom
You’re hired! Students will be able to pitch an idea to offer a unique type of service or invention that gets Regina residents excited about waste! After a presentation on the City’s current waste and recycling programs, your class will be able to break into groups and discuss creative new ideas.
Age/Grade Group: Science 10/ Environment 20
Composting & Grasscycling
Composting and grasscycling are easy ways to reduce your amount of household garbage and create nutrient-rich soil for your yard.
Composting is the natural breakdown of organic materials such as fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves and grass clippings by bacteria and fungi (micro-organisms). Composting can help reduce the amount of household garbage you set out and it also produces nutrient-rich soil that can be used for gardening and landscaping.
View our Guide to Backyard Composting to help get you started, tips on what material to compost and trouble shooting tips. Reduce your household waste and make great soil for your lawn or garden!
The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council offers further information to help determine which household composting style works best for you as well as educational videos to get you started.
Want to learn a simple way to cut down on yard work and reduce your use of fertilizer and water? It’s called grasscycling and it’s as simple as letting the clippings from your mower stay on your lawn. There’s no need to rake after you mow.
Advantages
- Reduces need to fertilize – Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are returned to the soil. This reduces the cost and work of fertilizing. As well, it prevents fertilizer runoff from polluting lakes and streams.
- Returns organic matter to the soil – The organic matter increases the ability of the soil to hold water. As well, the organic matter feeds earthworms which aerate the soil.
- Reduces water consumption – The clippings act as mulch, protecting grass roots from the sun and reducing having to water your lawn as often. You save money and effort by not raking.
- Reduces work – You don’t have to rake. And you don’t have to water or fertilize as often. There’s more time to enjoy our beautiful Saskatchewan summers.
- Reduces pollution – Using a push mower reduces the amount of hydrocarbons produced by a gas-powered mower.
- Increase your fitness – Get some exercise by using a push mower, use muscles ordinarily not used and enjoy the sounds of nature.
How to Grasscycle
- Mow your lawn regularly
- Mow the lawn when it is dry
- Remove no more than 1/3 of the length of the blades of grass
- Keep the mower blade(s) sharp
- Just let the mower spread the clippings evenly on the lawn. They will settle in quickly and will disappear in a day or two.
Waste Plan Regina
Waste Plan Regina was created after years of engagement with industry experts and the public to develop a new waste management strategy. The plan provides the City with direction on how to manage waste, and to consider alternatives for meeting and managing long term waste management and diversion needs. This has resulted in the development of enhanced residential services, blue cart recycling, mandatory multi-family recycling and interim depot services for yard waste and household hazardous waste.
