The Estevan community gathered today to celebrate the grand reopening of SARCAN Recycling’s newly expanded depot. Although the new location on Bourquin Road officially opened June 30, today’s event marked the official ribbon-cutting and community celebration.
After more than 20 years on 6th Street, the depot has moved into a larger, brighter space built from the ground up to meet growing demand. The new facility is designed to improve the customer experience, provide a better work environment for staff, and support the depot’s expanding operations.
“It’s truly wonderful to be here today in a brand new, bigger, brighter, cleaner facility,” said Kevin Acton, SARCAN’s Director of Operations. “It still smells like a new car.”
The new building adds more than 2,500 square feet of space and includes a more spacious reception area with wide automatic doors, two additional sorting chutes for faster service, and a hand wash station for added convenience. SARCAN’s popular Drop & Go service has also been upgraded with an expanded drop-off area and two kiosks to make visits quicker and easier.
With more capacity and an efficient layout, the depot is better equipped to serve both individual customers and bulk users such as bottle drive fundraisers, restaurants, and other local businesses. The site also offers improved accessibility and a larger parking lot.
Environment Minister Travis Keisig spoke at the event and highlighted SARCAN’s impact across the province. “It makes me incredibly proud to be part of this province, to have people like SARCAN at the forefront of recycling with 76 operations across Saskatchewan,” he said. “The really important thing that SARCAN does is provide employment to some of the most challenged people in our communities. The confidence and purpose that work gives them cannot be overstated.”
Keisig also praised SARCAN’s environmental leadership. “Last year alone, SARCAN recycled nearly half a billion beverage containers. Every can returned and item recycled is a step toward a cleaner future,” he said.
Recycling volumes in Estevan have continued to grow. From April 2024 to March 2025, more than 30,000 residents from Estevan and surrounding communities returned over 8.8 million beverage containers. These efforts diverted millions of pounds of recyclable materials from landfills and put them back into manufacturing.
SARCAN’s Executive Director, Amy McNeil, said the new depot is an important step in keeping pace with the community’s needs. “Estevan is growing, and this new depot is a response to that growth. Recycling is a messy job, but we want to make it as enjoyable as possible for the people working here and for our environmental stewards, as well as for the customers who bring their containers back. People take pride in the depots, both employees and customers alike,” she said.
McNeil added that the new space allows SARCAN to keep expanding the types of materials they accept. “We have been working hard to upgrade depots across the province. It makes our work more efficient, helps us handle new recycling streams safely, and lets us plan for the future.”
Depot Supervisor Connie Hagel said the new space was much needed to accommodate the increasing range of products SARCAN accepts. “It is very exciting because we are taking so many more products now, including flexible plastics, foam packaging, and household glass. We really needed the extra space, and we are ready for future growth,” she said. Hagel also explained that electronics, paint, and TVs will now be dropped off at a separate entrance for easier handling, while the Drop & Go service now has its own bright, welcoming space.
The Estevan depot is operated by Estevan Diversified Services (EDS), a local organization providing meaningful employment opportunities for people experiencing disability. EDS Executive Director Tricia Salmers spoke about the impact SARCAN has on the community. “We have had the privilege of operating the Estevan depot since the late 1980s. SARCAN has been committed to inclusive employment, providing meaningful jobs for people who face employment barriers. We prioritize individuals with intellectual disabilities for employment, and this has helped many people gain not only wages and benefits but also skills, confidence, and a greater sense of belonging in the community,” she said.
Hagel also shared that the Estevan depot now processes between 8 and 10 million containers a year, handled by a team of 9 to 12 staff members. “Since COVID, our Drop & Go volume has increased by at least 1,000 percent. The staff here is phenomenal, and most have been with us anywhere from five to 35 years. Many plan to stay until retirement. That says a lot about SARCAN as a company.”
The new building broke ground in August 2024 and opened for business June 30, 2025. Evergreen Construction handled the build.
SARCAN operates in 65 communities across Saskatchewan and employs more than 900 people. Beyond beverage containers, they accept products like paint, electronics, batteries, flexible plastics, foam packaging, and non-deposit glass bottles and jars, thanks to partnerships such as SK Recycles.
The grand reopening wrapped up with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring provincial and community leaders. McNeil summed up the occasion by saying, “Recycling does not have to be a dirty, yucky job. We want to make it inviting, and we want the people of Saskatchewan to embrace what we are celebrating today.”
For more information on SARCAN and the materials they recycle, visit sarcan.ca.