Saskatchewan develops new strategy to manage and reduce waste

The Saskatchewan Government has released a new Solid Waste Management Strategy for the province as a starting point to providing a practical and sustainable solid waste management system to achieve specific goals over the next 20 years.

Used packaging, food scraps, electronics, plastic, paper and scrap materials are a few examples of solid waste.

Saskatchewan produces the second-highest amount of waste per capita in Canada – an amount equivalent to each resident of the province generating about 842 kilograms of waste. This is roughly the weight of 60 regular household bags of garbage per person per year. The strategy was developed in an effort to change that statistic and move toward more responsible waste management.

“This strategy is about working together to address the ongoing challenges of waste management and to identify potential new economic opportunities for industry,” Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said in a January 23 press release. “This is important because the status quo is unsustainable and the province needs a comprehensive and strategic action plan to address the unique challenges posed by solid waste management.”

Since 2018, a Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee engaged extensively with stakeholders, which led to a list of recommendations for government to consider when developing the strategy. The strategy outlines six goals to reduce the amount of waste generated per person by 30 per cent by 2030, and 50 per cent by 2040, based on 2014 baseline levels.

The six goals are to: 1. Enhance education, awareness and technical understanding of waste management best practices and the risks of improper practices across Saskatchewan;

2. Encourage regional collaboration to enhance the cost effectiveness of waste management infrastructure;

3. Foster innovative and sustainable solutions to manage waste;

4. Demonstrate government leadership in waste management;

5. Provide a modern, efficient and effective regulatory system for waste disposal and management; and

6. Enhance waste diversion across Saskatchewan.