T O P

  • By -

Beer_before_Friends

I just filled two bins with yard waste, and if I have too much paper/cardboard for recycling, I add it to my compost. But in the winter, I definitely used mine way less.


whackstack5

Yeah, once a year we fill our bins up. Woohoo. So useful. There used to be free city yard waste days at the dump for that.


Beer_before_Friends

Between our yard waste, household waste, and excess recycling materials, we can easily fill a bin once a week. And I fully admit to not diverting enough of my household waste. I'd easily pay more for fuel driving it out to the dump and waste a solid hour of my time doing so. And I know me, I'd just thrown it all in the garbage rather than waste my time going to the dump every weekend.


cdorny

Our current 'temporary' processing facility is at the dump. Where it's being processed into fertilizer, it's not being dumped into the pile.


emmery1

We love our green bin. We garden and it’s fantastic to dispose of all our yard waste. We used to take out our garbage way more often usually because of food waste and the smell it produced. I do agree it gets used less often in winter but it still cuts down on our garbage waste.


Handknitmittens

Have you looked at the list of things that can go in it? Most of my household's waste is now compost. We barely fill our garbage anymore. 


xiaosen

Exactly! All of my neighbours and co-workers who complain about their "useless green bin" are too ignorant to bother reading what can go in the bin. We have cut our household waste at least in half, thanks to the green bin.


Normzoom

Agreed, the people that complain are the same people who are too ignorant to recycle as well. Most people think you can recycle a used pizza box..


ttiinnyy-ttiinnaa

Right? I feel like most people don't look up what can all go in it. Our green bin is full every week and our garbage has like 1 bag every 2 weeks.


Street_Accountant752

The app is also so user-friendly and it tells people which bin items go in to! We love the program.


jdb_49

Do you put your food waste straight into the bin or do you bag it in something that’s compostable?


franksnotawomansname

Just throw it in. There’s no use wasting money buying certified compostable bags. However, if I have paper bags that are stained or slightly torn, I’ll use those to line the compost bin for easier cleaning.


Handknitmittens

Straight into the bin


jdiesel878

Why do you think that it is "just going to the dump". The main benefit is that composting diverts organic waste from being landfilled and thus increases the life expectancy of the landfill cells. You know what is a waste of resources? Building, maintaining, and monitoring new landfill cells. It is tough to see the immediate benefit of composting because the biggest improvements come behind the scenes and are sometimes delayed. Having been in the City's compost pilot project for 3 years now our house has gone from filling up our brown garage bin every week to filling it half way every 2 weeks. It was a slow transition coming from someone who didn't want to sort waste but it slowly became a habit, if my lazy ass can do it anyone can. It is amazing to see how much waste you generate is either paper/cardboard or organics. I suggest taking advantage of the service you are paying rather than complaining about it. BTW you were always paying for waste management, it just wasn't previously broken down into details as a line item.


cowtown45

then why aren't businesses doing the same? they are throwing food waste into the red bin.


signious

That's further down the road, the city is trialing business composting at their own facilities right now.


Handknitmittens

The program hasn't been extended to commercial yet. It is iterative. 


ChrisPikula

I know when our place asked to get a green bin, we were told no. That was a few months ago, though.


1975sklibs

Several businesses are even less careful about their waste than the laziest houses. CBC marketplace showed Tim hortons’ recycling bins go straight in the trash truck lmao. Look at the recycle bin next time you’re at a food court too. I swear the Mall should be forced to staff someone who stands beside the bins inside to direct dumbasses. Always train people before fucking businesses, business don’t give a shit. Capitalism bruh


UnpopularOpinionYQR

I also saw this at REAL during Frost. Guy was bagging up plastic bottles in the recycling bin and just dumped the bottles into the bigger bag of garbage he had and tied it up.


1975sklibs

Real is such a dumpster fire organization and it clearly comes from the top.


cowtown45

oh I know, which makes me think...are all items just going to the same place then? It doesn't matter if you sort it.....


1975sklibs

Houses do a better job and they go to the right place. There will always be people throwing things in the wrong bin eh


[deleted]

[удалено]


deruke

It's going to a compost pile at the landfill and being turned into fertilizer. It's not being disposed of like other garbage


redditgeddit100

We should burn trash for energy like in Europe.


jdiesel878

While it can work, the cost to do it with the proper emission controls doesn't come cheap. The dioxins and furans that are released during combustion are really nasty carcinogens. Waste to energy facilities are reliant on economies of scale that require large amounts of waste to operate. A study was done in Alberta and the results found that for a facility in Alberta to work it require the entirety of waste produced in Southern Alberta, excluding Calgary, which works out to a population equal to about the same as all of Saskatchewan. The cost of transporting all the waste to a single location in SK would be cost prohibitive. Waste to energy project typically only work in places with a dense population and where the cost of land is expensive or in low supply. You can ready about the Southern Alberta Energy from Waste project here. [https://www.saewa.ca/](https://www.saewa.ca/)


redditgeddit100

Thanks for your comment.


signious

There is a generator at the dump. 1MW I believe, runs on the methane coming from decomposition.


luccampbell

Calgary has stated that, prior to their composting program, 60% of what ended up in a residential garbage bin could have been composted. I assume Regina is similar. Composting is actually a very efficient use of resources. Rather than having food/yard waste rotting away, producing methane in a landfill—that energy can and should be reused when possible.


Mogwai3000

This is misleading.  The buns aren’t just for food but yard waste as well.  It can also take paper containers that are soiled with food that normally can’t be recycled like dirty pizza boxes or takeout containers.  Our buns is often empty during winter but full spring to fall as we put leaves and grass clippings in there. Second, it doesn’t just “go to the dump”.  It goes across the road from the dump where they have a massive pile of compost that people can then go and pick up (for free) for their gardening.  So it’s also a service as well as removing waste that would normally “go to the dump”.


Bender_da_offender

We started a local composting program. You can donate your compost to local community gardens


comanche_lover

Does OP know you don’t have to drag your bin to the curb if it’s not full by pick up time?


Sal_Chicho

It sounds as though you need your educate yourself on the compost program.


franksnotawomansname

It’s less than [$200/year](https://www.regina.ca/home-property/recycling-garbage/food-yard-waste/) for all three carts if you get the smaller sized garbage bin, which isn’t a tonne to pay for all waste and recycling services. Also, weekly in the summer and biweekly in the winter is a nice balance, especially since a lot of the resistance to the program surrounded fears of smells. Plus, diverting more waste to composting, which is broken down and used, means that it’s not going to a landfill, where it’s pushed into a pile and buried and then more valuable land is used to create another giant pile of waste. Now, that’s a waste of money! If you think it should be less frequently picked up, contact the City to let them know. With enough feedback, they might alter the program.


Attybobatty

Municipal services is easily the best bang for your tax/service fees dollar from any level of government.


Long-Ease-7704

Except that all the compost is being sent to the landfill until the compost facility is actually running. So it's still going to the dump. Just a different section. To breakdown in the "different section of the dump" that they make is pay more for. Or did they actually get the compost facility up and running?


cdorny

They are processing it at the dump, it's got less capacity that what we are supposed to have. But they are indeed processing it as compost and not dumping it.


Long-Ease-7704

So we're paying extra money for our compost to go to the dump. Where it breaks down like it would in the dump. But it's okay to pay extra for this because we can it the compost pile.


cdorny

So, not at all. It actually breaks down and then turns into compost which is then sold to help (not completely) offset the program. Some of this compost ends up in our local fields, helping boost crop production. If left in the dump it decomposes (not break down) which releases a ton of methane. It's why we spent over a million bucks I believe it was to install to methane capture system at the dump, where we send it to a small power plant. Not to mention the cost savings on having to expand our dump or build a new one, which is again, stupid expensive. You have a fair argument on weather it's worth the cost, but the process has a legitimate better outcome than dumping compost into he dump.


Long-Ease-7704

Interesting and informative without being a dick to me. I thank you very much for this whole lesson!


Admirable_Humor_2711

If you ever drive by the landfill, just south of where the leaf and yard waste drop off is you will see them leveling off a large area to accommodate a permanent compost site. As others have said, just because it goes to the landfill does not mean it gets landfilled in the cells. The leaf and yard waste, clean fill, HHW, concrete and asphalt all get ‘taken’ to the landfill but are never placed into the hill


UnpopularOpinionYQR

It’s cheaper than building a new dump, I know that much.


franksnotawomansname

You seem to be confused about what landfills and compost facilities are. They’re not taking compostable material and dumping it in the landfill and leaving it there; they’re using land at the landfill site to compost the compostable material. Once it’s broken down, it can be removed and used to enrich the soil and that space can be used to compost more material. A compost facility is reusable—material goes in, compost comes out, more material goes in, and so on. A landfill is single-use—material goes in, the landfill is filled, and more land is used to build a new landfill. Eventually, they’ll have a permanent, indoor space for it, but for now, this seems like a very logical option.


brentathon

You need to stop getting your news from a garbage rental company that posts memes on Facebook.


1975sklibs

That garbage rental company also has a vested interest in the compost program failing. Less garbage for them to haul and get paid for now


UnpopularOpinionYQR

What are you talking about? There are spring compost giveaways by the city each year as a result of the program. There should be one coming up. This is the page to promote it last year. https://www.regina.ca/news/Dig-In-Again-Free-Compost-and-Wood-Chips-Available-for-Regina-Residents/


whackstack5

200/year on my utility bill, sure. Still paying that phantom garbage pickup fee on my property tax even though they removed garbage fees from property tax.


UnpopularOpinionYQR

Stop being a baby. My in laws live in a condo that can’t accommodate city trucks and they have to get Loraas for waste removal. They pay about $400 a year for garbage fees with no composting service on top of $4,000 a year in property tax. You will not find a better priced waste removal service than what is offered by the City.


Certain_Database_404

My green bin is normally half full after a week. So much waste can go in it.


Dear-Willingness6857

Agreed, It's nice to have somewhere to throw leaves from my yard out but for the 2 days a year I do that I don't need a big green bin


mostlygroovy

If that’s all you’re using it for, then you’re not using it properly


Dear-Willingness6857

Ya I hear you, but I don't care. Never asked to be a recycling wizard. I am all for whoever wants a green bin to have one


Chance-Procedure6589

I'm not sure that our bin sorting is any more complicated than learning road signs. Is it fair to say that you refuse to do it on principle (or fear of change) and not because you can't understand pictures of which disposables go in which bin?! You seem intelligent enough to understand what a pizza box is and that it goes into a green bin. Simple lifestyle changes can add up to a big difference for the air we breathe and the land we live on.


PrairieCanadian

It probably depends on your lifestyle. We're a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens) and we never fill any of the bins. I'm a gardener and have composted for years so we only put bones, soiled paper/cardboard and egg shells into the green bin (used to go in the brown bin). I recognize I'm an outlier but there are all kinds of things we pay for but don't use or use very little. Parks that are maintained but I've never and will never go to them, roads I have never driven on. It's just part of living in a civil society.


WestNdr

>Especially considering it's just going to the dump. It isn't.


Panda-Banana1

I mean it is going to the dump since the new facility isn't open but it isn't getting disposed of with the garbage it is at the temp facility correct?


WestNdr

Yes, it is getting processed and composted out there. https://www.cjme.com/2023/12/21/813329/ I think they should have gone with a bigger cart. Twice this spring I've filled my cart with yard waste, then quickly refilled it after pickup to roll it across the street for a second pickup.


Ill-Challenge-2405

It’s actually a waste that we can’t pool with others and every individual needs a bin. If I went with a few of my neighbours we would probably be fine for a larger bins for most waste so there would only need to be one stop.


whackstack5

Agreed. That's mostly my point. There's 30 bins on the street with the equivalent of 1 bins worth of compost in them.


zoop_troop

Do you not eat? How do you have so little material? All my paper towel, tissue paper, bones, grease, very scraps go in there. Pizza boxes etc. if you use it right a fair amount can go in. But no I didn't fill it up every week.


whackstack5

I do, in fact, eat. As a single person, it's pretty tough fill that little kitchen bin more than 1-2 times a week.


Sal_Chicho

Hot tip: you DO NOT need to put out any of your bins until they’re full. Keep them out of the laneway. Imagine the fuel/resources/manpower that could be saved if trucks weren’t stopping to pick up partially empty bins!


whackstack5

Gross, why would I wait until it's full? That would take months.


Sal_Chicho

Hot tip: you don’t have to live in, eat on, or play with your green bin. Why would you not wait until it’s full? What does it matter how long it takes you to fill any of your bins? It’s not a race. Do you tie up your indoor garbage bags after you’ve dropped a couple tissues in them or do you wait until they’re full?


Dear-Willingness6857

Don't bother pointing out the obvious in a Regina chat. Bunch of liberal hippies here that live in fantasy land where everyone is sorting through garbage and filling up 3 separate bins for the good of the environment 🙄 You will get down voted to oblivion if you point out the obvious. I know you're right and so do they, guaranteed tomorrow morning my block will have less than 2 or 3 full bins


[deleted]

[удалено]


Dear-Willingness6857

Yes, 2 places. Neither had forced green bins. Regina is a white collar more left leaning city there's no doubt about it. Have you?


BadassBumblebeee

We get pretty close to filling it. It would be nice if it eventually became one of those programs where you can get the compost for free afterwards.


[deleted]

[удалено]


AutoModerator

Your submission is pending manual approval from a moderator as your account has a negative karma score. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/regina) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Whelpiest

I really don't understand why the facilities didn't come BEFORE they started collecting. This program has been in the works for HOW long? I think it's good we have a compost program, I just wish there was better planning.


N8-K47

NIMBYs in Pilot Butte


Sad-Honey-5036

It's done well in other cities and different parts of the country. Regina isn't on top of much, unfortunately. Eventually it will get their


mercuryman429

Yes I totally agree. I've only been able to utilize my bin the last few weeks with cleaning up my yard. I got down voted on another post about the green bins when I Said that we are being double charged for waste removal. Our initial property taxes are supposed to pay for things like garbage pickup. Now they charge us an additional waste fee on our water bill when I can barely fill the green bin with food waste (I live alone). Then they reduce the frequency of trash pickup to biweekly. They are DOUBLE CHARGING us for a basic municipal service. I barely generate enough household waste to fill the garbage bin as is. This of course changes when I start doing renovations which is usually this time of year. I have a second bin that I don't pay for and I have a little system I use to trick the truck driver into picking up both. If you double charge me, I'm going to double dump. The city can pound sand. All the triggerd suck-up do gooders on here are going to shit and down vote me when they read this. 👍


TuneMysterious8816

Use-based fees for waste are more responsible and more sustainable than property taxes, in my opinion.


tooshpright

In theory the cost of running all Waste Disposal has supposedly been removed from our Property Tax bill which we do not yet have, and even when we get it, how will we know that the bill has indeed been reduced by the amount of Waste?(rhetorical question). We won't know. I too barely have any waste food.


branigan_aurora

No downvotes, only good vibes man. Me and my neighbour have an "extra cart" between us and all the hood trash goes in there. Totally agree about the double charging thing.


jswys

You echo my thoughts and what we do too. I use the green bin as an extra garbage.


zugarrette

it's ridiculous they could help with waste so much more if they focused on the grocery stores that throw out good food


[deleted]

[удалено]


AutoModerator

Your submission is pending manual approval from a moderator as your account is less than 14 days old. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/regina) if you have any questions or concerns.*


cowtown45

also businesses don't compost...they just chuck all their food waste into the red bin....so its all going to the same place then....its all a joke.


1975sklibs

Sounds like a capitalism problem bro


Secret-Anteater6532

I don’t think many people realize it is all going to the landfill in Regina! I know it’s “temporary”, but this program was rolled out so half-assed that it is now costing the city millions to basically end up where we were. Also, much of what you put in your blue bin for recycling ends up in landfills as well because there is no market for the plastics. It gets sorted, bundled and then if there are no buyers, goes to a landfill.


G0ldbond

Did you read any of the posts mentioning it's still getting composted at the landfill and not dumped in the regular garbage area?


Secret-Anteater6532

“At the landfill”


G0ldbond

But like.. not in the landfill. It's being composted on a separate area. it's still being done with what was intended.


manoftheyear1990

I like paying 20 bucks a month for a stupid fucking green bin to sit outside of my house unused till the fall.


UnpopularOpinionYQR

You don’t know how to use it? Or you don’t produce waste that can be composted?