WAKAW — Debbie Medernach, the executive director of Columbian Industries in Cudworth, which owns and operates the SARCAN depots in both Wakaw and Cudworth, provided details regarding the recently revealed expansion of the SARCAN depot in Wakaw.
“The demand for recycling in the community has grown significantly over the past few years,” Medernach said. “We are fortunate to have strong community participation, and with the increasing number of recyclable products now accepted, the need for expansion became clear.”
An addition measuring 256.4 square metres (15 x 60 feet) will be added to the current Wakaw SARCAN building. The expansion will include the customer service in the front portion of the building, as well as adding extra space in the back. The project will be completed by Zak’s Building Group, with construction scheduled to begin in June. The work is expected to take most of the summer.
Medernach says they have not yet determined whether the depot will need to close for a short period during construction. If a temporary closure is required, it is anticipated that it will be brief, as maintaining service for customers is understandably very important.
Columbian Industries has called Cudworth home since 1986. During that time, we’ve sought to bring housing, training, activities and job opportunities to the communities in and around the area. Since the non-profit organization was created in 1986, its mission has been to ensure people with intellectual disabilities can be active and valued members of the community, able to pursue opportunities and choices in all aspects of their daily lives.
Recycling is an important part of encouraging a sustainable and cyclical ecosystem for the products we use every day. But we understand that some recycling systems require extra effort or just aren’t available in our region. To help address this, Columbian Industries opened its own recycling depots in the community so that sustainable choices are more accessible for all of us.
The 2026-27 provincial budget included more than $37 million allocated to SARCAN, including an increase of $117,000 in operational funding grants.
SARCAN’s director of Recycling Operations, Kevin Acton, announced this week that 491 million beverage containers were diverted from provincial landfills in 2024-25. That’s about 43 million pounds of material, one percent more than last year.
Saskatchewan’s return rate was 82.6 per cent of total beverage containers sold, which far exceeds the national average of 75.9 per cent.
SARCAN also collected 130,000 pounds of batteries, and in December 2024, SARCAN started collecting flexible plastics, Styrofoam, grocery bags, and glass province-wide. Teaming up with SK Recycles, SARCAN expanded the materials accepted and collected for recycling. For the first time in the province’s history, flexible plastics and foam packaging were accepted province-wide, and non-deposit glass bottles and jars could be returned to SARCAN depots province-wide as well. SK Recycles is a not-for-profit organization that evolved from the previous Multi-Material Stewardship Western (MMSW) program.
“Last year, 2025, was the first full year of that material coming in, so that’s been really exciting. We’ve got a lot of people coming to the depots and good volumes of that coming in, as well.”
Acton adds that SARCAN is always growing and expanding, with new depots cropping up all around the province.
SARCAN Recycling has been serving Saskatchewan Communities for over 35 years. Since first opening their doors in 1988, their mandate has been to provide a reliable, responsible, and efficient recycling service for Saskatchewan residents.
