Phase 3 Eligibility Criteria

Approved Phase 3 Depot Eligibility Criteria and Depot Collection Standards, Policies, and Procedures

SK Recycles is pleased to announce that our Phase 3 Depot Eligibility Criteria and Depot Collection Standards, Policies, and Procedures have been approved by the Government of Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. Approval was received on May 5, 2026.

SK Recycles thanks our many stakeholders for their constructive feedback.  

Phase 3 Eligibility Criteria and Depot Collection Standards, Policies and Procedures

Key Milestones

  • May 5, 2026 – Ministry of Environment has approved SK Recycles’ Phase 3 Depot Eligibility Criteria and Depot Collection Standards, Policies and Procedures.
  • June 18, 2026 – Stakeholder webinar to review the approved criteria and procedures. View Recording
  • June 25, 2026 – Phase 3 Collector Working Group meeting to discuss draft agreement language.
  • July 2026 – Stakeholder webinar to review cost study findings and proposed incentive rates. Register here to attend the July 8, 2026 webinar.
  • July–August 2026 – Stakeholder feedback period on draft agreement language and proposed incentive rates.
  • Fall 2026 – Letter of Offer packages issued to eligible collectors.
  • Q4 2027 – First service commencement date for depots operating under the SK Recycles full EPR model.

Summary of Feedback

Following a review of the feedback and an internal assessment of program performance considerations, SK Recycles has refined the proposed criteria. Notable adjustments include:
  • Removal of the distance threshold requiring a municipality to be within 150 km of a City, Town, or Village with a population of 4,500 or more,
  • Removal of language indicating that one depot per community is the starting point.
  • Treating Regional Waste Authorities as service areas rather than as individual member municipalities.
  • Addition of details regarding standard industrial, commercial, institutional (ICI) deductions with an option to employ an ICI study and/or audit process to support individual determination of assumed ICI material percentages.
  • Removal of language that would have enabled SK Recycles to decline contracting a lower‑class depot where a higher‑class depot exists nearby.
  • Payment method updated to a per household amount rather than per tonne amount.
  • Additional clarity around depot service provider roles and responsibilities.
  • Municipalities with fewer than 100 households can jointly partner or share depot recycling services to meet the 100‑household requirement.
The updated eligibility criteria are designed to support efficient depot‑based collection in:
  1. Smaller communities without curbside or multi‑family collection, and
  2. Communities where certain categories of accepted packaging and paper products (PPP) (e.g., flexible plastics) are not collected through curbside or multi‑family service.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can we determine if our community is eligible for a depot?

SK Recycles’ approved Phase 3 Eligibility Criteria and Depot Collection Standards, Policies and Procedures outlines the criteria that defines a municipality or Regional Waste Authority (RWA) that is eligible to act as a depot collection service provider to SK Recycles in Phase 3 of the transition and how to determine the eligibility of their corresponding depot locations. A population threshold and Regional Waste Authority (RWA) membership are the primary criteria that determine if a community is eligible to join SK Recycles’ depot program under phase 3.  

Phase 3 depot standards, policies and procedures describe the additional requirements related to depot “classes” and sub-contracted services.  

SK Recycles conducted a stakeholder webinar on June 18, 2026, and presented the approved criteria to stakeholders.

Webinar Recording

If your municipality needs support determining depot eligibility, please contact SK Recycles’ representative for further information at info@skrecycles.ca 

  • SK Recycles held a stakeholder webinar on January 13, 2026, and provided an overview of the draft eligibility criteria. Stakeholders had the opportunity to review the draft criteria document and to submit their feedback to SK Recycles by February 13, 2026.  
  • Based on the stakeholder feedback, SK Recycles made significant changes to the draft criteria and submitted it to the Ministry of Environment for review and approval on February 27, 2026.  

SK Recycles recommends that the community reaches out to SK Recycles to confirm eligibility and options to participate in the SK Recycles depot program. The eligibility criteria were carefully designed to include as many of the existing MMSW shared responsibility model collectors and potential new partners as possible, while balancing operational efficiency. SK Recycles has added additional options for municipalities to join the phase 3 depot program even if the population threshold is not met by a municipality on its own. Please reach out to SK Recycles directly to discuss your municipality’s options. 

If two or more incorporated municipalities (non-RWA) under the 100–household threshold would like to partner or share depot recycling program services to meet the 100–household criteria, SK Recycles will review, assess and provide approval on a case-by-case basis. The incorporated municipalities that partner together must have adjoining municipal boundaries or be no more than five kilometres apart. Partnering municipalities must elect one primary municipality to be the contracted partner to SK Recycles and provide this decision to share depot costs and SK Recycle incentives via a council decision.  

Yes, SK Recycles has added additional options for municipalities to join the phase 3 depot program even if the population threshold is not met by a municipality on its own. The primary option is for municipalities to partner together for depot service. Please reach out to SK Recycles directly to discuss your municipality’s options. 

The eligibility criteria were carefully designed to include as many of the existing MMSW shared responsibility model collectors and potential new partners as possible, while balancing operational efficiency. Municipalities that do not meet the minimum population criteria may not be excluded from the program, as there are pathways available for participation based on adjacency criteria. Existing RWA members as of January 1, 2026 do not need to meet the minimum population criteria if the RWA joins as a depot collection partner. Also, two or more municipalities that have adjoining municipal boundaries or that are no more than five kilometres apart, may partner to meet the minimum population criteria, pending SK Recycles’ approval.  

SK Recycles welcomes new eligible depot collectors to discuss their situation and potential onboarding in the depot program by reaching out to info@skrecycles.ca. Additional options for municipalities to join the phase 3 depot program are available even if the population threshold is not met by a municipality on its own. The primary option is for municipalities to partner together for depot service. Please reach out to SK Recycles directly to discuss your municipality’s options. 

For the foreseeable future, SK Recycles will not be procuring services directly for household depot recycling or offering an option for municipalities to transition their existing depots into a program-led model. SK Recycles is partnered with SARCAN to accept household flexible plastics, foam and non-deposit glass bottle & jars and may explore partnering with other organizations that operate depot recycling services. 

No, SK Recycles will not be procuring services directly for household depot recycling or offering an option for municipalities to transition their existing depots into a program-led model. 

SK Recycles is currently focusing on partnerships with eligible municipalities and regional waste authorities. 

SK Recycles is planning to issue an official Letter of Offer package in Fall 2026.  

The first service commencement date for depots to start service under the SK Recycles full ERP model is Q4 2027.