Regina city council approves more enforcement for Waste Management Bylaw

The City of Regina is looking to help tackle the amount of garbage seen throughout the city.

At a meeting Wednesday, city council approved changes that would introduce tickets for people who break the Waste Management Bylaw, a practice that is leading to an increase in litter in the city.

Previously, the city had resorted to education about the bylaw and would tag offenders.

That includes things like having overflowing bins and having filled garbage bags on the ground or not in the proper areas.

Council voted that after warnings about the offences, the tickets could be $150 for a first offence, $200 for a second offence, and $250 for a third offence.

It also voted on an amendment to bring in proper technology, similar to what is done with parking tickets, to help organize and deal with the tickets.

In order for the change to come into effect, the city solicitor will need to prepare changes to the Waste Management Bylaw to allow for tickets to be given.

City administration said it already knows of a few repeat offenders.

Council also voted on an amendment that would see problem areas, such as parts of North Central and the Heritage neighbourhood, receive extra attention when it comes to cleaning up trash in the area.

If someone notices problems with their areas, they can call Service Regina and a cleanup crew could respond to the problem.

The extra funding to help with this is about $125,000.

A report on the success of the enforcement and cleanup program is expected to come at a later date.