Food & Yard Waste Pilot Program
City Council approved moving forward on a year-round residential food and yard waste pilot to test, evaluate and revise the program before potential city-wide implementation. A food and yard waste service will meet current and future waste disposal needs, extend the life of our landfill and protect the quality of life of future generations.
View Organic Waste Service Recommendations Approved by City Council on September 24.
Timeline
- 2019 – Planning for food and yard waste collection and processing service
- 2020 – Launch pilot project
- 2021 – Recommendation to Council for city-wide implementation
- 2023 – Full city-wide implementation
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important to start a food and yard waste service now?
- Waste studies show that food and yard waste currently make up about 50 per cent of what goes in the average Regina resident’s garbage cart.
- A year-round food and yard waste service will allow the average household to send half as much material to the landfill.
- We can only achieve the 65 per cent waste diversion goal set by Council by implementing a food and yard waste program.
- This will prolong the life of our landfill and significantly reduce the greenhouse gasses which are produced when food and yard waste are landfilled.
Why is it important to divert food and yard waste from the landfill?
- Food and yard waste is not garbage. It’s a valuable resource which can be turned into nutrient-rich compost.
- Landfill space is valuable and should only be used for materials that cannot be reused or recycled.
- Diverting waste from the landfill extends the life of the landfill. We want to keep using our current landfill for as long as possible because it is very expensive to open a new landfill.
- Diverting food and yard waste helps the City reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
Why do we need to do a pilot project, instead of implementing city-wide now?
- Curbside food and yard waste service is new to the City of Regina. The pilot project will be used to test the service and identify and address any issues before rollout to the whole city.
- The pilot project will give some residents the opportunity to use the service and provide feedback that may be incorporated into the city-wide service.
When will the pilot areas be announced?
- The pilot areas will be announced in early 2020.
How are you selecting the pilot areas? Where will they be located?
- Pilot participants must currently receive City garbage and recycling services.
- The pilot areas will include participants from every ward in the City and represent a cross-section of Regina residents. Naturally, the pilot must also include some households with front street collection and some with back alley collection.
What items will be accepted in the food and yard waste service?
- This is a full “scrape the plate” service which will accept a wide range of materials such as food scraps including fruits, vegetables, grains, oils, meats and bones.
- The service will also accept yard waste (such as leaves, grass, plants, garden waste) and soiled paper (like paper towel, cardboard, tissues).
What will the City do with the compost?
- The intention is to use the compost within the city.
- Depending on the quantity and quality of the finished compost, options may include giving it back to pilot participants, using it for the City’s parks or making it available to the general public.
Will residents be required to get a third cart?
- The City will be testing various green cart sizes as part of the pilot.
- Implementing a third cart for food and yard waste is a successful model in other municipalities.
Why not use bags?
- The City made a large investment to transition the garbage service away from bagged collection and towards cart collection.
- Plastic bags can not be processed with the rest of the food and yard waste material and would have to be individually de-bagged in order to be processed.
- Bags increase the likelihood of leakage and can cause issues with odour and pests.
- Bagged collection increases the risk of injury to workers caused by repetitive lifting of heavy garbage bags.
How will we pay for this new service when it goes city-wide?
- Council will consider recommendations for the ongoing funding of the city-wide food and yard waste service after the pilot and prior to city-wide rollout.
