The percentage of waste diverted has increased since 2022, with the largest gains occurring after the citywide rollout of the food and yard waste program in September 2023. The programs and services required to support waste diversion are now in place. However, a significant portion of food waste, approximately 31 per cent, continues to be placed in the garbage stream. If residents fully utilized the available diversion options, the City would be able to achieve its 65 per cent diversion target.

This shows that the City’s blue cart contamination rate has consistently not met the target, and further, in 2025 has increased. In 2025, the top contaminants found in the recycling cart are yard waste and flexible plastics such as garbage bags, bread bags, zip‑top bags, film wrap, chip bags and granola bar wrappers. The number of flexible plastics in the recycling stream increased significantly after changes to the provincial stewardship program in 2025 that allowed SARCAN to accept flexible plastics and foam packaging. While these materials are accepted at SARCAN or the brown cart, they are not accepted in the blue cart. Putting them in the blue cart will lead to higher contamination levels. 

Contamination rates have remained at or below the target, indicating that residents are generally using their green carts appropriately. The most commonly found contaminants are diapers and plastics that are not BPI‑certified. 

The estimated closure date for the landfill shifted in 2025 from 2050 to 2053 because less waste is entering the landfill, demonstrating the positive impact of ongoing diversion efforts. Since 2022, the City has extended the landfill’s projected lifespan by an additional five years as a result of improved waste diversion performance. The targeted closure date also changed in 2024 following the full implementation of the food and yard waste service, which further reduced the volume of waste requiring disposal. Another contributing factor to reduced waste entering the landfill is the use of private landfills around Regina, which diverts material away from the City’s site. Together, these changes highlight the effectiveness of diversion programs, the influence of disposal practices in the region, and the long‑term environmental and operational benefits of reducing landfilled material. 

Significant reductions in emissions were observed following completion of the wellfield expansion project in 2022. This project improved the quality of the landfill gas, which enabled longer and more consistent operational run times at the Landfill Gas to Energy facility and resulted in substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Continued improvement in greenhouse gas destruction occurred in 2025 due to enhanced engine and flare run times, further strengthening the performance of the landfill gas collection system. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions destroyed continues to trend toward the 2030 target. 

Vehicle visits to the landfill have increased by 4.5 per cent since 2022, driven primarily by higher volumes of mixed solid waste, which rose by more than 25,000 loads over the period. This growth is largely associated with increased residential use of both the landfill and the small vehicle transfer station, which has offset declines in construction related materials such as rubble and clean fill dirt.  Additional traffic increases are for visits to the temporary Organics site, which is expected to be phased out in late 2026 as processing transitions to a new provider. Overall, the upward trend in vehicle counts reflects rising user demand across key disposal streams and underscores the need for continued attention to staffing, traffic management, and long-term infrastructure planning.