Recycling bins earn `oops' and `good job' stickers

The City's Cart smart Team was out again this fall doing quick visual checks of blue carts in Regina, and has shared its results.

Among the more than 2,000 carts checked, the team gave “good job” stickers to 33 per cent of the recycling carts, while 67 per cent earned an “oops” tag, with 16 per cent of those carts making improvements on the next visit, a city news release said.

The most common items that resulted in an “oops” tag were:

37 per cent: stretchy plastic bags and film (plastic bags, plastic wrap)

19 per cent: crinkly plastic packaging (chip bags, cereal bags, zipper pouches)

13 per cent: Styrofoam (packaging, food containers)

13 per cent: plastic products without #1-7 symbol ( bulky plastic, food containers, hangers)

11 per cent: tissue/paper towel/napkins

9 per cent: paper disposable cups (waxed paper cups)

The information collected helps the city improve education for Regina residents on the curbside recycling program. The city says it's seeing better sorting when it comes to the blue carts, from 85 per cent acceptable items in 2019 to 90 per cent in 2020.

Still unclear what to put in the bin? The city is hosting a virtual session, titled Recycling 101: The ins and outs of your blue cart, on Dec. 7 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Regina.ca/recycling101.

There will be a 30-minute presentation followed by the opportunity to ask questions and get answers from experts.

For more information, check out Regina.ca/waste.