The City of Saskatoon has taken another step toward making people pay for garbage collection.
A report on the issue came up at Monday’s city council meeting and council voted in favour of developing a waste utility program, although it was not a unanimous decision.
READ MORE: Saskatoon moves closer to charging homeowners for garbage pickup
The report recommended that the city continues to develop a program that would have homeowners pay for garbage removal based on how much garbage is thrown out and on collection frequency.
Homeowners currently pay for waste removal through property taxes.
The city estimates moving to a user-pay system would reduce property taxes by about four per cent – roughly $8.9 million.
The cost would be transferred to a monthly utility bill.
Four councillors voted against the proposal, with some expressing concern that it will prompt people to dump their garbage elsewhere or in a neighbour’s bin.
Another councillor didn’t want the plan implemented until the city’s recovery park and organic waste programs are fully in place.
“We know this is an important initiative and we want to get it right,” Brenda Wallace, the city’s director of environmental and corporate initiatives, said in a release.
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“Residents have many concerns like affordability and increased illegal dumping. So, to hear what people think, we’re going to launch a series of community discussions this fall and gather input on the design of an expanded waste services utility.”
READ MORE: Saskatoon resident angered by illegal dumping in back alley
Meetings will be held in the fall and the findings reported back to council.
City officials will also look at different ways for homeowners to pay for garbage collection, which could be by cart size or collection frequency, but Wallace said it will not be based on weight.
The City has set a goal of having 70 per cent of waste currently going to the landfill diverted by 2023 through other programs.
“If we don’t do this, there’s a huge cost,” Clark said.
“If we have to build another landfill, the cost just to decommission our landfill is … at least one-hundred-million dollars.”
Clark said that doesn’t include the increased cost of trucking garbage to a new landfill.
A report is due early next year with a proposed design and timeline for the new waste utility model.
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