Regina Yard Waste Depot moves weekend-only schedule after green cart launch

The Regina Yard Waste Depot is no longer open on weekdays.

The depot’s schedule changed at the start of the spring season on May 4, reducing its hours from seven days a week to just Saturday and Sunday.

It also cut back its hours from the previous 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule, and will now operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Janet Aird, Regina’s water, waste, and environment program management and delivery manager, said the decision to reduce the depot’s hours was due to the rollout of the green carts in the fall.

“The Yard Waste Depot, since 2020, has seen a drop in volume – even prior to the cart roll out – of 36 per cent,” Aird explained.

“And our busiest times were on the weekend, so when we looked at all our data, we adjusted the hours to when we see people coming, and then the volume.”

Those dealing with yard waste during the week now have two options. They can either wait until the weekend to bring it to the depot, or drop it off at the landfill.

“We want to tell people to use their green carts and we understand that some yards have more waste, but lots of people just hold on to their waste until the weekend,” Aird said.

“People coming in during the week have to pay the tipping fee, so it would be 10 dollars for a small vehicle … We encourage people to hold on to the (yard) waste until the weekend.”

She said thee changes won’t affect landscaping companies in the city.

“This is a residential program, so it is for residential customers. It is not for commercial,” she said. “Commercial has always not been allowed at the depot.”

Aird added that they will continue to monitor the volumes of loads dropped off at the Yard Waste Depot, as well as the number of people stopping in on the weekends.

More information on the depot and waste programs can be found on the city’s website.