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The City of Yorkton is reminding citizens there are four ‘Residential Recycling Drop-off Bins’ located around the city for their use.

These bins are large green 30-yard multi section bins that are located at the Parkland Mall parking lot (2), Prairie Harvest Christian Life Center parking lot and Gallagher Center parking lot.

In addition there are recycling cages at RecyclAbility Enterprises, 180 Ball Road, which accept recyclable materials plus household glass, explained Jacob Perpeluk, Landfill Coordinator.

People can refer the ‘Recycling Coach app’ for a complete listing of all recyclable products, he added.

The bins are designed with three compartments to separate materials for easier sorting at RecyclAbility Enterprises in Yorkton. The three compartments are labelled with large white letters to indicate what materials should be deposited into openings; these are cardboard, newspaper, and plastics and tins.

The purpose of the green bins is to compliment the residential curbside recycling program, and it is also useful for oversized items, such as large cardboard boxes, said Perpeluk.

The Residential Recycling Drop-off Bins have been in use around the City of Yorkton since 2010 and have been a popular method of recycling for many. With new ways to track data on recycling, it has been discovered that these bins are not only being used for recycling, but a lot of garbage content is making its way into the recycling bins. 

Since the start of 2019, a large portion of the bin’s contents have been residential garbage and yard waste material, over 37.65 metric tonnes of garbage has been thrown into the recycling bins, that equates to over 14 per cent of the total annual weight or over six full OSS garbage trucks. This creates problems for the Recyclability Enterprises to sort out the garbage from the recyclable materials. It takes more time and effort, which is more costly to operate and it creates more hazards and safety concerns for the workers.  In addition, depending on the nature of the garbage, the entire bin can be containment resulting in the entire load going to the landfill.

In 2018 City of Yorkton residents recycled 600 tonnes of materials between using the Residential Recycling Drop-off Bins and the Residential Curbside Recycling Program.
Residents of Yorkton are asked to refrain from using the Residential Recycling Drop-off Bins for disposing, but encourage residents to continue recycling as much as possible.

Did you know, yard wastes such as grass clippings and leaves can be taken to the landfill for free disposal? added Perpeluk.

Thank-you for recycling, it diverts material from the landfill and creates employment, he concluded.