Rosetown to join provincial recycling program this June

EAGLE STAFF

Town councillors decided to join the provincial recycling operation in June rather than wait until February 2028.

Private contractors, such as Loraas Recycling, will continue collecting recyclable material in communities around the province that choose to enter the Sk Recycles program early, staff expected during the council meeting on Jan. 5.

“(Contractors) will still be doing all the pickups and sorting,” said Bob Bors, the public works superintendent. “They already have the facilities. Instead of the government giving the municipality money, now that funding will go to these companies.”

The town has received an annual Multi-Material Stewardship Western grant for collecting recyclable paper, tin and plastic. The amount it gets doesn’t quite cover the town’s annual payments to Loraas for collecting material from local recycling bins, Amanda Bors, the acting chief administrator, told councillors during a previous meeting.

“I guess the sooner everybody jumps on the bandwagon, the better,” Art Garrett said.

The town’s contract with Loraas ends at the end of 2026 so “it makes sense” to join the program this year, Mayor Trevor Hay said.

The town must give Loraas 90 days’ notice to break the contract early, Amanda Bors said before councillors passed a motion for the mayor and her to sign a Sk Recycles letter of intent saying that Rosetown will join the program on June 1.