It's an announcement that Moose Jaw has been looking for over the last several years and it now appears ready to drop. Premier Scott Moe has announced that the Saskatchewan government will be releasing a new draft policy for landfills and waste management, which have not been updated since 1986.

If regulations are brought forward, he province’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee and some private operators will review the draft, which would include plans of making landfills more affordable. They also want to reduce the number of landfills in the province, as Saskatchewan has a total of 350.

The City of Moose Jaw has been working towards either building a new landfill or expanding the current landfill for years but the project seems to keep getting put off.  Cost and planning have long been blamed for the delays but from time to time, expected changes to landfill rules and regulations creep into the conversation. Current and former engineers at City Hall have expressed concern with expanding the current landfill, leaning towards building new although no decision has been made.

Back in January, we reported that the City of Moose Jaw was cited by the province for not meeting landfill requirements. Operations Manager Darrin Stephanson explained that the landfill was audited by the provincial regulators last year and found that they weren't covering the waste with soil often enough. It was also revealed to council that the landfill is leaking leachate, a liquid byproduct of garbage decomposing.

When asked if the leachate was making it into the river, Stephanson says it's a concern and the location of the landfill was certainly not well researched back when it was first established.