SARC and SARCAN Recycling operates offices, depots, and processing plants throughout Saskatchewan and employs hundreds of people from various backgrounds across the province.
We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we operate our business is on Treaty 2, Treaty 4, Treaty 6, and Treaty 10 territory.
SARC and SARCAN Recycling pay our respects to the many First Nations whose traditional land encompasses these Treaty lands, including the Cree, Saulteaux, Assiniboine, Anishanabek, Dene, and Dakota as well as the traditional Homeland of the Metis people.
SARC and SARCAN Recycling are dedicated to working with all Indigenous peoples and Nations in partnerships toward truth
4 and reconciliation.
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The SARC Board of Directors
Valerie BuddPritchard President
South Region
Regular Manager Representative
Moose Jaw
Diversified Services
Lloyd Montgomery Executive Committe
Member
South Region
Regular Board Representative
Weyburn Wor-Kin Shop Corp.
Rosa Smith Vice President
South Region Associate Manager Representative
Clare Parker Homes
Unita Esau
North Region Regular Board Representative
Multiworks Corporation
Cameron Nicolle
North Region Regular Manager Representative
Valley Action Abilities
Leanne Kerr
Jenna Moore Secretary
South Region Regular Board Representative
Lionel Prefontaine Treasurer
Wheatland Regional Centre Inc. External Appointment
Wilda Wallace
North Region Associate Board Representative
Prairie Branches Enterprises Inc.
North Region Associate Manager Representative
Canadian Deafblind Association – SK Chapter Inc.
Donald Salie
North Region Regular Board Representative
Battlefords Trade & Education Centre Inc.
Marnie WatkinPawelko
South Region Associate Board Representative
Regina Residential Resource Centre
A Message from SARC’s Board President and Executive Director
Supporting HR/LR Strategy
SARC Launches Start With Hello Job Board On the Road with SARC’s Facility Planner 2024-2025 Education & Training Highlights
Supported Employment Awareness Growing SARC’s Group Programs Highlights
New Partnership Adds More Accepted Materials Many Happy Returns Product
A Message from SARC’s Board
President and Executive Director
Valerie Budd-Pritchard and Amy McNeil SARC Board President and Executive Director
Our annual report offers a glimpse into the work we’ve undertaken during our 2024-2025 financial year. It provides a synopsis of our organizational structure and the diversity of the work done by exceptional teams in SARC’s Member Services, Finance, and SARCAN Recycling Divisions. This report shares information about the achievements and partnerships that continue to inspire our teams, and it provides an overview of SARC’s strategic priorities, organizational values, and our commitment to our Mission.
Since 1968, SARC has been providing support, advocacy, and services to other non-profit, community-based organizations. SARC’s Member Services Division strives to deliver knowledge, resources, and a collaborative environment to community-based organizations committed to advancing inclusion, improving our communities, providing opportunity, and bridging excellence.
SARC Members, along with Canadian non-profits and charities in general, are constantly struggling to secure funding to cover core operating costs, which is a major ongoing pressure that takes attention away from other important tasks. Labour shortages remain a major concern for a large number of SARC Members, and general ongoing workforce issues are having significant impacts on organizational health and stability. The demand for services, and the increase in the complexity of needs and supports required, have outpaced organizational capacity, placing many community-based organizations, and the people they support, at risk. In 2024, SARC’s Member Services Division focused its efforts on workforce development, building capacity, strategic partnerships, and sector promotion. SARC also led advocacy efforts/events and conducted research to help inform our own strategic priorities and keep Members informed about the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in the sector and
Along with overseeing the day-to-day financial management of the organization, SARC’s Finance Division is directly rooted in the administration and governance of SARC’s Group Programs. In 2024, SARC externally ‘marketed’ its three health and wellness benefits plans, along with surveying participating organizations on potential program enhancements. The SARC administered plan, and the adopted changes, ensure plan costs remain competitive while providing enhanced options for employers working to provide competitive benefits in this challenging workforce market. Additional enhancements were also negotiated into SARC’s Insurance Program, offering even greater protection and risk coverage for communitybased organizations. SARC continues to explore additional enhancements and flexibility options in our Pension Plan and hope to offer these in the upcoming year.
SARCAN Recycling celebrated another great partnership in 2024. On December 1, 2024, all SARCAN depots became the official collection point for three more hard-to-recycle household materials. Flexible packaging, foam packaging, and non-deposit glass jars and bottles are now able to be returned to any of our 73 depots. Partnerships like the one that made this expansion of materials possible are precious to us and we continue to explore opportunities that make recycling easier and more effective for the people of Saskatchewan and keep this beautiful province clean.
Enhancing the customer, Member, and employee experience remained a top priority in 2024. Our SARCAN team focused efforts on improving accessibility, engagement, awareness, and customer service. This combined with the addition of more materials, expanded ways to recycle, and increasingly efficient equipment and processes, continue to support our goal of achieving the highest recycling rates in Canada.
None of the achievements highlighted in this report would be possible without an exceptional team and dedicated stakeholders. On behalf of the SARC Board of Directors, thank you to over 900 employees and to our network of SARC Member organizations. Gratitude is also extended out to the tens of thousands of customers and our many partners. The diversity of our people, our work, and our aspirations make us “uniquely us” and for that we are blessed and honoured to serve.
“None of the achievements highlighted in this report would be possible without an exceptional team and dedicated stakeholders. On behalf of the SARC Board of Directors, thank you to over 900 employees and to our network of SARC Member organizations.”
SARC is a provincial association of 100+ nonprofit community-based organizations, dedicated to supporting people within their community to live life to their full potential.
SARC’s Member Services division provides services to nonprofit organizations in the areas of training, consulting, services, and leadership to expand their potential and support the work they do within their communities.
Supporting Human Resources/ Labour Relations Strategy
62 or 84%
Of SARC’s Regular and Associate Members received consulting from SARC’s Senior Labour Relations Consultant and Workforce Development Coordinator.
With a notable increase in inquiries and support requests from the prior year, trends for 2024-2025 included :
10
Members were supported through their collective bargaining process
Policy development:
2
Members used our collective bargaining service for the first time
• Navigating immigration platforms and Labour Market Impact Assessments
• Addressing housing shortages when recruiting from other regions
• Creating or restructuring roles to offer more full-time opportunities to attract talent
• Lack of basic skills amongst job applicants
Sector Impact – Employment Legislation Changes:
Since the announcement of proposed amendments to The Saskatchewan Employment Act in late 2024, Member organizations have been reaching out for guidance, seeking clarity on how the changes may impact their operations, workforce policies, and collective agreements.
SARC is actively reviewing the legislative amendments and translating its requirements into clear, actionable steps to help employers remain compliant. Although no effective date has been announced, we will ensure Members are kept informed and provided with the necessary resources for a smooth transition once the changes come into effect.
Recent changes to Canada’s immigration system are making it more difficult for SARC Members to recruit and retain foreign workers. These include reduced study permit approvals, limited work hours for international students, and stricter eligibility for family work permits and post-graduate work permits.
Recently announced pilot programs may not be a viable option, narrowing recruitment pathways further. Some organizations may face staffing shortages if current foreign workers lose their permit status. SARC fielded numerous inquiries throughout 2024-2025 and worked with legal counsel to provide a summary of immigration policy/ program changes to SARC Members.
SARC Launches Start With Hello Job Board to Profile Disability Service Sector
A major milestone in SARC’s Workforce Development strategy was the launch of the Start With Hello Job Board in May 2024. Developed in response to feedback from Workforce Development partners, the platform addresses the need for a “one-stop shop” to view and share employment opportunities within the Disability Service sector. Partnering organizations were interested in letting their job seekers know about the sector, but they found it cumbersome to search for individual organizations’ job postings on various platforms. Now, all SARC Regular and Associate Members can post their jobs on this job board and have their organizations represented throughout our promotional activities and partner outreach.
Many individuals and partners we engage with are unfamiliar with the sector and the meaningful, values-driven careers it offers. The Start With Hello campaign and job board bridge this gap by raising awareness and connecting people directly to real job opportunities.
Integrated into all SARC Workforce Development initiatives and events, the job board promotes both the sector and current openings across Saskatchewan in a streamlined, accessible way. For example, rather than hoping job seekers at a career fair will go to various platforms to look up job openings for various SARC Member organizations in their community(ies) of interest, we can now give them a QR code to be instantly linked to job opportunities across the province. With features like geographic filters, employment type sorting, a resume bank, pre-screening tools, and alignment with sector values, the Start With Hello platform helps attract well-matched candidates and enhances the hiring experience for SARC Members.
Since its launch, the job board has seen growing engagement from job seekers, SARC Members, and Workforce Development partners across the province. Through collaboration with high schools, post-secondary institutions, Indigenous communities, and newcomer-serving agencies such as SIIT, SITAG, Regina Open Door Society, YWCA, and Quint Development, SARC has delivered impactful presentations, attended career events, and developed customized outreach materials. Job postings from the Start With Hello job board are also shared weekly with over 55 contacts who distribute them to their talent pools.
These efforts raise awareness of the sector and promote longterm, inclusive career paths. Moving forward, cross-program collaboration and targeted outreach will continue with our partners to position the sector as a values-driven and rewarding career choice, and the Start with Hello job board will be the focal point of our strategy.
On the Road with SARC’s Facility Planner
44
Regular and Associate Members supported with numerous inquiries and requests related to their homes or day program buildings
Travelled to support Members with on-site visits Almost 12,000 kms
Documentation for tender renovation projects Fire safety requirements
Inspections for Capital Replacement Planning
9 Members
35
Group homes inspected
3 Members had SARC come out for “repeat” inspections, as it had been 5+ years since their last inspection
2024-2025 Education & Training Highlights
Total SARC Learning Central training registrations 1,328
In-house Training
Out-of-province organizations accessing (Increase of 20% from last fiscal)
Total COMPASS training registrations 2,331
Eligible organizations participated in COMPASS 95
Provinces/Territories accessing SARC training (Increase of 10% from last fiscal) 10 93%
SARC facilitators were once again busy traveling across Saskatchewan to bring training to you in your community! Would you like us to come to you? Contact us today!
13
Organizations 10 Communities 11 Sessions (Mental Health First Aid, Person-centred Essentials, and Aging and Dementia Training)
Enhancing and Promoting Board Training Options
Employees trained in-house in their own communities! 210
In 2024-2025, SARC focused on strengthening resources and training programs offered to boards of directors and carried out multiple promotional activities to raise awareness of these offerings:
SARC’s comprehensive online program for board directors and executive directors, ELEVATE, covers a wide array of governance topics – a one-year license allows you to choose the topics you want to learn more about and access a wealth of resources at any time.
Inspired is an online program for boards of directors and senior leaders that talks about ways to strengthen your understanding of person-centred practice and how to embed it throughout the organization. With the oneyear subscription, you can sign up as many board directors and senior leaders as you wish!
Board Bits is a live, facilitator-led virtual discussion available to board directors and executive directors, covering several governance topics including board engagement, board roles and responsibilities, board development, and so on. Join us for our bi-monthly Board Bits sessions where you can enhance your knowledge, network with leaders from other organizations, and receive helpful takeaways!
SARC has expanded its Strategic Planning Services to offer a number of sessions for boards of directors and executive directors to help guide you through all, or parts, of the Strategic Planning process!
SARC’s Board Resource Area houses a variety of resources covering a wide array of governance topics. Looking for a policy template, checklist, or helpful link –check here first!
SARC’s Fall Conference is an annual in-person networking and training conference for boards of directors and senior leaders. It includes an exhibitor area and professional development sessions on a wide array of topics trending in the nonprofit sector today. Whether you are a new or experienced board director, SARC has something for you! Have questions? Contact us today!
Supported Employment Awareness Growing
Supported Employment Highlights
The call for proposals for the period of April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2026 saw the Supported Employment Transition Initiative (SETI) Steering Committee approve eight projects for a two-year funding term to assist people to prepare for, obtain, or maintain employment.
Collectively, the eight funded projects exceeded the outcomes they had set for the 2024-2025 year.
Funded projects
8 People supported 120 90 75%
People employed Employment rate
CASE Conference
In June 2024, SARC was honoured to co-host the 29th Annual National Supported Employment Conference with the Canadian Association of Supported Employment (CASE).
Over 400 delegates from across Canada joined us in Regina to learn about some of the best practices and showcase Saskatchewan as a leader in supported employment.
Light It Up! For NDEAM
For the fourth year, SARC led the way in Saskatchewan for the national Light It Up! For NDEAM (National Disability Employment Awareness Month) campaign. Across Canada, this national inclusive employment awareness campaign saw 199 communities with 832 locations light up in purple and blue lighting on the evening of October 17.
Saskatchewan ranked third in Canada for participation, behind only Ontario and British Columbia, with 118 locations in 18 communities participating. The land of the living skies was lit up in hues of purple and blue that night, and we look forward to more locations joining us in October 2025.
Our Community Episode
SARC was approached by AMI (Accessible Media Inc.) to develop an episode for the Our Community Series.
The episode, titled Untapped, aired in November 2024 and shows employees, employers, SARC, and SETI funded projects who all speak of the impact of supported employment in building inclusive workplaces. This episode can be seen here.
SARC’s Group Program Highlights
SARC sponsors various group programs to provide a ‘bulk customer’ advantage for SARC, SARCAN Recycling, and SARC Members related to coverages, terms, and pricing.
Benefits Plan
66+ Organizations
94 Divisions
1,900+ Employees
Employee Assistance Program
72 41 Organizations
2,400+ Employees Divisions Pension Plan
70 Organizations
97 Divisions
5,000+ Individual plan members
$140 Million in assets
Benefits Plan Enhancements
SARC’s benefit plans were marketed in late 2024 to ensure plan costs remain competitive. The marketing produced a positive outcome with savings and rate guarantees (Life, AD&D and LTD for three years), as well as several benefit enhancements, and still resulted in an overall decrease in premiums.
SARC surveyed participating organizations so they could vote on the proposed changes.
Based on the voting results, enhancements include:
• Remove prescription requirement for all paramedical services
• Increase per paramedical practitioner (non-mental health related) to $500 (previously $400)
• Increase mental health practitioner to $2,000 (previously $400)
• Increase vision benefit to $300 (previously $200)
• Increase basic and major dental combined maximum to $2,000 (previously $1,000)
• Maximum age for health and dental benefits changed from 70 years to retirement (no age limit)
• And more!
The SARC benefits plan also added an optional Health Care Spending Account (HCSA/HSA) to the plan. HCSAs are notional accounts established for each employee to be used to pay expenses that are considered a medical expense under the Income Tax Act. Expenses paid are non-taxable to the individual when claimed. The decision whether to add an HCSA can be made by each individual organization.
The SARC Insurance Program continues to deliver value through stable rates, enhanced coverage, and dedicated support to our Members. The following is a summary of key updates across our three core insurance programs.
Participating organizations
Property and Liability Insurance
In 2025, we successfully renewed the program with no rate increase, a notable achievement given the prevailing industry trend of inflationary adjustments. Key highlights include the removal of the co-insurance clause on buildings, which simplifies the claims process and eliminates the risk of co-insurance penalties on partial losses. In addition, various coverage limits were increased without additional premiums, providing broader financial protection to policy holders. Coverage now extends to include operations related to the care of youths. Optional premium financing and discounted appraisal services remain available.
Participating organizations
Directors and Officers Liability Insurance
Now in the final year of the current three-year term, this program continues to perform well. Coverage and pricing have remained stable, positioning us favourably for future renewal negotiations. It continues to provide essential protection against governance-related exposures for participanting organizations.
Participating organizations
Cyber Insurance
Cyber risk remains a rapidly evolving area of concern. For 2025, some participating organizations experienced modest rate increases, while others saw no change to premiums, depending on individual risk profiles and loss history. The program continues to offer critical protection against threats such as data breaches, ransomware, and business interruption. The insurer’s focus on proactive risk management has helped preserve coverage quality and affordability across the Membership.
SARCAN Recycling, a division of SARC, began in 1988 to collect and recycling beverage containers across Saskatchewan. In partnership with SARC Member organizations, the SARCAN system has expanded over the years to include 73 depots that recycle beverage containers, paint, electronics, batteries, and, recently, flexible plastic packaging, foam packaging, and non-deposit glass bottles and jars.
SARCAN works toward a cleaner, greener environment, providing competitive employment opportunities, and building up the wonderful communities in Saskatchewan!
New Partnership Adds More Accepted Materials
One of the biggest highlights for SARCAN through the 2024-2025 year was launching a new partnership with SK Recycles – the organization responsible for management and recycling of household packaging and paper – to become the official collection partner for flexible plastic packaging, foam packaging, and non-deposit glass bottles and jars.
As of December 1, 2024, recyclers in the province are now able to return these items to all 73 depots.
Many Happy Returns
1,607,234
Customers served during 2024-2025
1,415,144
Customer visits were front counter service, bulk orders, or bottle drives
158,000+ Active accounts
6,500+ Active group/fundraising accounts
192,000+ Transactions
12% Of all transactions
Product Recovery Rates
494,698,886
Beverage containers returned by Saskatchewan recyclers
83%
Overall recovery rate
Legislated Container Recovery Rates
91.4%
Glass Bottles
87.8%
Aluminum Cans 80.3%
Plastic Bottles 56.3% Cartons/Boxes
In addition to legislated containers, SARCAN Recycling collected
1,828,624 lbs
Refillable Beer Bottles
3,105,346 lbs
Electronics on behalf of EPRA
1,018,486 lbs
Paint on behalf of ProductCare
107,948 lbs
Batteries on behalf of Recycle Your Batteries, Canada!
Recyclers were more than excited to hear about the newly accepted materials on behalf of SK Recycles, and the return volumes show it. In the first four months of the partnership, SARCAN collected:
10,441 lbs
Foam Packaging
24,466 lbs
Flexible Plastic Packaging
1,003,218 lbs
Non-deposit Glass Bottles and Jars
Processing and Shipping
Once the material has been collected, counted, and sorted at the depot, it is sent to one of SARCAN’s processing plants in Saskatoon and Regina.
90
Trailers were shipped to our Processing Plants per week on average
9,000 lbs
Of materials per trailer
164,000 lbs
Of materials from our depots were received at the plants each day
1,100
Trailers of consolidated materials were sent to downstream markets to be given a second life in the manufacturing industry
Downstream Market Breakdown
Container-to-Container Markets
8.4 million lbs
Of Aluminum were shipped to Berea, KY and Russelville, TN where the cans are recycled back into new aluminum cans
8.8 million lbs
Of Clear PET & HDPE were shipped to Calgary, AB and Delta, BC where they are flaked, washed, and melted into plastic beads that manufacturers use to create new plastic containers
1.8 million lbs
Of Refillable Glass Beer Bottles were shipped to distributors in Saskatoon, SK and Regina, SK for shipment to breweries for refilling
Container-to-New Product Markets
1.5 million lbs
Of Coloured PET & Other Plastics were shipped to Calgary and Delta to be transformed into new plastic products
1.6 million lbs
Of Cartons were shipped to recyclers in Iowa, Kansas, South Korea, and Japan to be transformed into napkins, boxboard, and more
10.0 million lbs
Of Clear Glass were shipped to Moose Jaw, SK to be transformed into reflective glass beads for highway paint
65,000 lbs
Of Tin and Bi-metal containers were shipped to Regina, SK to be transformed into steel pipe and construction rebar
5.9 million lbs
Of Coloured Glass were shipped to Airdrie, AB to be used as feedstock in the production of fiberglass insulation
570,000 lbs
Of Cardboard were shipped to a paper broker in Missisauga, ON who ships it to pulp mills to make new boxboard products
The SARCAN Team - Training & Development
We are grateful for every customer who makes a trip to SARCAN. By recycling with SARCAN they help us create rewarding, green careers to over 900 people of all abilities and backgrounds in Saskatchewan.
Our employees are the foundation of our organization, and without them none of this would be possible. We are committed to providing the training, resources, and support to ensure they are succesful in their roles. Our Literacy Training Initiative continues to develop digital literacy skills for employees in advance of implementing new hardware and software.
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Custom built training courses are available in the Aspire catalogue
SARCAN’s in-house training platform accessible to all employees
48
Episodes of “CAN’ned Wisdom” – SARCAN’s informational webinar series
5,700
Online courses and webinars completed by employees through 2024-2025
SARCAN’s in-house training platform tailored for supervisory staff
In addition to the Aspire and Inspire training platforms, SARCAN created Ascend – an advanced leadership development program. Ten individuals in a supervisory position were selected to participate in the Ascend Pilot, which will last two calendar years.
7
Courses available to supervisors through the Inspire platform
2
Courses were added: Change Management and Leading a Customer Service Team
The SARCAN Team - Events & Recognition
Each year, SARCAN holds events to honour and recognize the hard work, dedication, and determination of our employees, and to bring our teams together to share knowledge, insights, and experiences to help shape the direction of our organization and develop ways to enhance our system.
Annual Supervisor Summit
SARCAN’s annual Supervisor Summit is a two-day workshop which brings supervisory staff from the entire depot network together. This Summit aims to harness their experiences at the depots and foster discussion about our current operations and where we would like to see our organization grow.
This past Summit challenged supervisors to envision the future of customer service at SARCAN. Supervisors interviewed five types of community members – through-the-front customers, Drop & Go customers, Bulk Order customers, non-recyclers who choose to use municipal recycling instead of SARCAN, and non-recylers who toss their containers in the trash.
They each brought their findings to the Summit to discuss them. Following a ‘design thinking’ workshop, they were tasked with coming up with options for serving each type of customer better and brainstorm ways to encourage non-recyclers to become customers.
Employee Recognition
SARCAN is thankful to have a world class team of dedicated and loyal employees who often remain with the organization for many, many years. To honour this dedication, SARCAN hosts an Employee Recognition Day celebration each year.
Employees who have reached a milestone in their years of service as well as those retiring are invited to a paid day of celebration that features an afternoon program of speeches and presentations, tours of our facilities, a supper, and awards banquet.
This past year saw 88 employees get recognized for a combined 1,000 years of service!
Depot Service Awards
We also recognize the wonderful work our teams do at their depot to provide excellent service to our customers. For each of our depot size categories, awards are given out for Customer Service, Cleanliness, Accuracy, and Depot of the Year.
Customer Service: Kyle Small Esterhazy Medium
Moosomin Large Weyburn X-Large
Cleanliness: Cudworth Small Canora Medium
Kindersley Large La RongeX-Large
Accuracy: Gull Lake Small Davidson Medium
Blaine Lake Large Saskatoon East X-Large
Depot of the Year: Wilkie Small Grenfell Medium
Martensville Large Saskatoon South X-Large
System Enhancements
Relocations: Moose Jaw & Unity
The Moose Jaw SARCAN depot was relocated to a newly constructed building, after having resided in the previous location since 1988. The new space is nearly double the size and features more accessibility and advanced equipment to serve the Moose Jaw community more efficiently.
We also relocated the SARCAN depot in Unity to a building we renovated to suit our operations. This relocation greatly improved the Unity SARCAN, offering a larger customer area and parking lot as well as more space for our team to process customer returns.
Renovations: Regina Rochdale, Indian Head, North Battleford
In addition to the relocations, SARCAN upgraded three depots throughout the province. These renovations included installing a Tomra Conveyor system in Regina’s Rochdale depot to allow them to process orders quicker and more efficiently, an expanded Drop & Go receiving area at our Indian Head location, and upgrading North Battleford’s staff areas.
Equipment Enhancements
2
New high-efficiency conveyors were installed in our processing plants, helping to make material consolidation more efficient and reduce physical strain on employees
26
Nexgen flatteners – capable of 4-to-1 compaction –are in use through the depot network as SARCAN continues to invest in high efficiency compaction equipment
31
Electric forklifts are being used in our depots. Four of these electric lifts were added this past year as we are committed to shifting from higher emission lifts
Regina Rochdale
Indian Head
North Battleford
Customer Education Enhancements
Digital Information Sheets and Resources
2
New Language Translations – Farsi and Hindi – were added to our suite of downloadable Digital Information Sheets, expanding the reach of these resources to new residents who use English as a second language. These are now available in 11 different languages
6
New downloadable ‘Recycle Here’ posters were created to help provide schools, workplaces, multi-unit living complexes, public spaces, and shared spaces with signage they can use to create their own recycling station
Both the Digital Information Sheets and Recycle Here posters are available for download on
Interior Signage Redesign
Through 2024-2025, we overhauled our interior signage to make them more informative and educational. The new signs offer information on how to recycle at SARCAN, accepted items, and the impact of recycling at SARCAN. They also feature QR codes customers can scan if they wish to learn more.
Video Display Network
Our Video Display Advertising network is now expanded to each depot in the system, allowing us to get important information to customers quickly and efficiently, while offering them fun, educational videos while their containers are being counted.
Through the VDA system, we are also able to recognize the SARC Member Organizations that operate a SARCAN depot.
Connecting with Community
School and Workplace Bins
Community Event Sponsorship
SARCAN supported several public festivals this past year to help local events collect containers, preventing them from ending up in the waste stream.
14
Community events and festivals were sponsored by SARCAN – Cathedral Village Arts Festival, Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Ness Creek Music Festival, Lakeside Music Festival, Napatak Ramble, Regina Pride, Saskatoon Pride, Salt Shaker Festival, Swamp Fest YQR, Saskatoon Winterruption, YXE Urban Games, Gateway Music Festival, Long Day’s Night Festival, Country Thunder
Public Presentations
For the past few years, SARCAN has offered free recycling bins to Schools, Workplaces, and Event Centres to help enhance their container recycling efforts.
175+
900+ Bins 2024-2025:
Schools and workplaces ordered
Since the initiative began:
600+
Schools and workplaces ordered 2,500+
Bins
In 2024, SARCAN developed and began testing a new initiative aimed at delivering presentations to community groups, multi-unit living complexes, and groups that cannot tour SARCAN in person. The presentation, dubbed ‘SARCAN Uncapped: An in-depth look at SARCAN Recycling’, has been very well received and the test presentations have already sparked interest and demand for more presentations.
Saskatchewan’s Biggest Bottle Drive
For TeleMiracle 49, we collaborated with The Kinsmen TeleMiracle Foundation to run ‘Saskatchewan’s Biggest Bottle Drive’ – a social and digital media campaign to encourage people all over the province to donate to TeleMiracle through their Drop & Go Group Account.
$115,000 Raised
Market Research
SARCAN conducts an annual general public research survey to understand Saskatchewan residents’ recycling awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. 95% Brand awareness 88% Of residents recycle at SARCAN
Overall customer satisfaction 86% Drop & Go awareness 12% Previously didn’t visit SARCAN
Advertising Campaigns
SARCAN partnered with SK Recycles to promote the launch of the new partnership and encourage residents to recycle the new materials on their next trip to SARCAN.
Call2Recycle Canada and SARCAN ran a battery recycling contest to promote the circular economy and raise awareness that batteries can be recycled at SARCAN.
As a part of our multiyear recruitment campaign – a Career that Counts – we launched three new job preview videos to showcase why working at SARCAN is a rewarding career.
Bottle Drives do a fantastic job of capturing containers that otherwise would not come in to SARCAN. We launched a video series to help encourage groups to run their own bottle drive.
This year’s broadcast advertising campaign featured four commercials that showcased casual recyclers learning that they are more than just customers – they are recycling stars! The message of the commercials was that when you visit your local SARCAN, you are supporting environmental protection, community building, inclusive employment, and helping to make Saskatchewan a cleaner, greener, better place to live.
This past year, we took our popular ProTips! Video series and transformed it into the SARCAN News Network! This 22-video series of comical, yet informative, faux news stories shares tips and tricks for making the most of your next visit to SARCAN. Just as with our previous ProTips! series, SNN featured our very own employees as the cast of characters!
The SARCAN Impact
All of SARCAN’s activities amount to a globally progressive and successful system that has a tremendously beneficial impact on our people, our province, and our planet.
900+
Rewarding, inclusive, green careers for people of all abilities
73
Recycling depots in
45 million+ lbs
Of valuable resources diverted from Saskatchewan landfills and waterways, including 65
Communities throughout the province 21 million+ lbs
Of resources back into circular production cycles
Recycling those resources…
Prevented
49,406
Metric tonnes of CO being released through 2024-2025
Conserved
834,160 mBTUs
Of energy – enough to power
9,105
Homes for a year
CO2 Emission reduction and energy conservation calculations made using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM v16, December 2023)
2024-2025 Financial Results
SARC’s operations encompass a variety of services and activities in support of the Disability Service sector. These include Member Association Activity, Education & Training, Consultants (HR/Workforce Development, Labour Relations, and Facility Planning), Projects [Supported Employment Transition Initiative (SETI)], and Administration.
SARCAN
SARCAN Recycling is a Division of SARC. SARCAN Recycling’s operations are divided into two main Programs – Legislated, which is the collection and recycling of used beverage containers and is legislated by the Ministry of Environment, and Non-legislated, which includes used paint, end-of-life electronics, household glass, and household batteries. As of December 1, 2024, this program also includes flexible plastic packaging and foam.
