Saskatoon has taken another step towards changing the way waste is collected in the city.
City council approved a committee recommendation to move forward with the development of a pay as you throw garbage system.
Once implemented, residents would pay a utility fee for garbage removal based on the size of their bin, the smaller the cart, the lower the price.
The cost of waste management is currently included in property taxes.
Council also approved a city-wide organics program and to make no changes to the current recycling program.
Brenda Wallace, the city’s director of environmental and corporate initiatives, said these are important steps towards better waste management.
“The associated improvement to our waste diversion performance will save future generations the costs of building a new landfill and recover valuable resources that lead to jobs and economic growth from what has previously been simply wasted,” she said in a statement.
The city has said if action isn’t taken to reduce the amount of waste currently going to the landfill, it would have to be closed and a new one opened at an estimated cost of $150 million.
Council is looking to reduce the amount by 70 per cent by 2023.
Administration will now explore different cart size options and the proposed utility fees, and report back to city council in September.
“We want the program to be an improvement over the current situation for everyone and considering fairness and equity for all demographics is an important part of the program design,” Wallace said.
The new waste management system is expected to launch by the end of 2019.
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