Waste in Saskatchewan

Image source: Government of Canada, 2017

Overview of waste in Saskatchewan

Residential vs. Non-Residential waste in Saskatchewan, 2020

In 2020, 406,635 tonnes of waste (47.7%) was generated by residential sources in Saskatchewan, while 445,810 tonnes of waste (52.3%) was generated by non-residential sources. In total, 852,445 tonnes of municipal solid waste was generated in Saskatchewan in 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2024).

Waste production in Saskatchewan, 2012-2022

In Saskatchewan, there is a clear trend of decline in non-residential waste as it has decreased steadily by 30.5 % from 641,682 tonnes in 2012 to 445,810 tonnes in 2020. Then, it increased by 1.2 % to 451,376 tonnes in 2022. 

Conversely, residential waste has steadily increased by 29.2 % in Saskatchewan from 315,987 tonnes in 2012 to 408,146 tonnes in 2022 (Statistics Canada, 2024).

Waste per capita in Saskatchewan, 2012-2022

With a population of 1,165,963 the waste per capita of residential waste in Saskatchewan was 0.35 tonnes in 2022. It has generally increased by 29.6 % from 0.27 in 2012 to 0.35 tonnes in 2020, and then it remained stable at 0.35 tonnes in 2022.

For non-residential waste, the waste per capita in Saskatchewan was 0.39 tonnes. It has generally decreased by 30.9 % from 0.55 in 2012 to 0.38 tonnes in 2020, before it slightly increased by 2.6 % to 0.39 tonnes in 2022 (Statistics Canada, 2024).

Composition of residential waste in Saskatchewan, 2022

For residential waste in Saskatchewan, 38,164 tonnes were paper fibers (44.0%), 32,383 tonnes were organic waste (37.3%), 8,216 tonnes were ferrous metals (9.5%), 6,409 tonnes were plastic waste (7.4%), and 1,578 tonnes were other forms of waste (1.8%) (Statistics Canada, 2024).

Composition of non-residential waste in Saskatchewan, 2022

For non-residential waste in Saskatchewan, 30,343 tonnes were ferrous metals (62.6%), 9,347 tonnes were organic waste (19.3%), 7,932 tonnes were paper fibers waste (16.4%), and 849 tonnes were other forms of waste (1.8%) (Statistics Canada, 2024). 

Solid waste assets in Saskatchewan, 2022

In Saskatchewan, there are in total 784 solid waste assets. Specifically, there are 366 transfer station assets (46.7%), 119 active engineered landfills (15.2%), 96 closed sites (inactive engineered landfills and dumps) (12.2%), 85 active dump sites (10.8%), 82 composting facilities (10.5%), 35 materials recovery facilities (4.5%), and 1 energy from waste facility (0.1%) (Statistics Canada, 2022).

References

Government of Canada. (2024). Solid waste diversion and disposal. Retrieved June 16, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/solid-waste-diversion-disposal.html

Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 38-10-0138-01  Waste materials diverted, by type and by source DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3810013801-eng

Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 17-10-0009-01  Population estimates, quarterly. DOI:https://doi.org/10.25318/1710000901-eng

Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 38-10-0032-01  Disposal of waste, by source DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3810003201-eng

Statistics Canada. (2022). Table 34-10-0236-01  Inventory of publicly owned solid waste assets, Infrastructure Canada DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3410023601-eng

Government of Canada. (2017). Provincial and territorial symbols. Retrieved August 15, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/provincial-territorial-symbols-canada.html

Notes

”Misc.” data refers to miscellaneous data, and indicates any form of waste adding up to less than 3.0% individually, added together in one category for better overview.