In Saskatchewan, people who want to recycle their cans and bottles go to a SARCAN depot. These are a variety of sizes, from small outlets in small towns to the biggest depots, which are in the XL category. In 2018, the best of those large depots, which operate in the provinces major centres, is the SARCAN depot in Yorkton. They won the Depot of the Year award for 2018.
Jeanifer Moreira, supervisor and Karen Konjolka, assistant supervisor, are proud to receive the award for the depot.
鈥淎ll of the hard work we put in all year has been recognized. The staff here are awesome, I think we have the best staff in any business,鈥� Konjolka said.
In the XL category, the depot is competing against other depots in centres like Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert, some of which have more staff than in Yorkton.
鈥淐ompeting against depots that have 25 staff members against ten, it鈥檚 a big deal,鈥� Moreira added.
How do you get to be the best depot in the province?
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good teamwork, we have very good staff members. It鈥檚 reflecting [Moreira] as a great manager, because the staff are willing to go a little bit extra for [her],鈥� Konjolka said.
鈥淲e work hard at keeping the staff happy when they come to work. Keep the energy up, and it reflects on the customer service,鈥� Moreira added.
Depots are judged on cleanliness, customer service and accuracy. The Yorkton depot won the award for cleanest XL depot previously, but this is the first time it has taken the top prize. The philosophy at the depot is to continue improving, and has regular meetings to try ways to get better and continue to improve the experience for customers and staff. Moreira believes that having a happy staff comes across to customers, as they work hard at their job and provide quality customer service.
The local depot also crossed another milestone last year, recycling over ten million containers in a year. They believe that it鈥檚 a combination of milk containers now being in the mix for recycling, as well as a greater awareness of the importance of recycling in the world at large.
