YORKTON — A Residential Recycling Blue Cart Collection Program is coming to Yorkton following a unanimous decision by Yorkton council at its regular meeting Monday.
“With the recent roll-out of the new Curbside Organics Program (green carts) in April 2025, many residents have inquired about blue recycling collection carts as well,” Aron Hershmiller – Director of Public Works with the city explained to Council.
Solid waste surveys completed in both 2019 and 2021 resulted with similar feedback – residents asking about a potential residential blue cart curbside recycling program, he added.
Hershmiller noted “Recycling in Yorkton started in 1994 with a six month federally funded trial program.
“This recycling initiative has since diverted approximately two million kilograms (2,000 tonnes) per year of recyclable material from the landfill (material from both residential and businesses).”
The city’s “current curbside collection program is operated by Prairie Harvest Employment Program (PHEP); a non-profit, community based organization that creates valuable job opportunities for youth at risk and individual’s with barriers to employment,” said Hershmiller.
However PHEP is no longer able to do the collection.
Along with provincial regulation changes, this spring’s provincial budget resulted in PHEP’s provincial grant funding being cut. PHEP who currently does the curbside collection for SaskAbilities, lost their funding and therefore is no longer in a financially viable position to remain as a collector without a significant increase to their budget from the city and/or SaskAbilities, explained Hershmiller.
In the face of that service loss Hershmiller said Administration was recommending a ‘blue bin’ option.
“We have proposed the initial cart investment be purchased through our recycling reserves in an effort to keep the levy as affordable as possible for this new program. The estimated cost to purchase the carts would be approximately $620,000,” he said.
While offering several options for Council, the recommended one approved unanimously will see continued weekly garbage collection, bi-weekly collection of the new blue bins and weekly organics collection (30 collections/year (April – November).
In addition:
* 1-2 Residents total solid waste collection levy (garbage, compost and recycling) will stay the same at $21.00/month collectively,
* 2-unit basement suite stay the same at $18.00 / unit / month
* 3-4-unit stay the same at $18.00 / unit /month
* 5-plus-units stay the same at $16.00 / unit / month
It is projected the blue bins will be out by Nov. 1.
