Concerns mount over proposed cost of Saskatoon’s multi-unit recycling

Watch the video above: concerns are being raised over the proposed cost of multi-unit recycling in Saskatoon

SASKATOON – Concern is mounting over the price Saskatoon residents who live in apartments and condos may have to pay for recycling.

Paula Simon with Saskatchewan’s Rental Housing Industry Association (SRHIA), represents 16,000 multi-unit suites in Saskatoon. “They don’t want to see rent increases, that’s for sure but who’s ultimately going to absorb the cost of it is the tenant.”

According to Simon, many buildings already subscribe to a recycling service. Some are paying as low as $1.00 a month. Cosmopalitan Industries has been sole sourced by the City of Saskatoon to provide the service to all multi-unit buildings in Saskatoon but the cost is substantially higher.

“We haven’t really seen how Cosmo arrived at that price of $4.66,” Simon said.

The price is proposed in Cosmo’s business plan and SRHIA’s concerns aren’t alone.

The City of Saskatoon hired the audit and financial advisory firm, Deloitte, to review Cosmo’s proposed program. That review has recently been completed and the results have been handed off to city administration to look over the findings and make a recommendation to city council in the coming weeks.

It’s the same price a single family homes pays for the service provided by Loraas recycle. Simon feels it should be cheaper for those in apartments and condos.

“Each individual house requires the truck to stop and pick up the bin. At an apartment building you have one bin so the truck comes to the building and makes one stop for one large bin,” Simon said.

But according to Ken Gryschuk with Cosmo, it isn’t that simple.

“There’s buildings where there’s practically no room for a truck to go on the property, for a bin to be there… you have to look at making more collections rather than just one collection every two weeks,” he said.

Gryschuk calls it customized service rather than one size fits all.

Furthermore, Cosmo says under its business model the City of Saskatoon will pay $4.66 per suite and could then set a lower price for the residents, subsidizing the remainder.

Cosmo reminds Saskatoonians that more than 120 people with disabilities will find purpose through the program – they’re the ones who will be responsible for sorting the materials.

Those who represent apartments and condos are advising tenants to make their voice heard. Several representatives and tenants have already sent letters to city council which were received at the last meeting.

If Cosmo’s proposal is accepted by council, the program could launch as early as this fall.