Calgary committee to look at study that examines privatization of some waste collection

A study that examines whether the City of Calgary should privatize some waste collection will go before a committee Wednesday.

The study’s authors say the city could save money by privatizing a third of its black, blue and green cart collections.

While there will be savings of between $425,000 to $1.2 million (or about $1.30 to $3.90 per household, per year), it does come at a price, the report said.

Privatization could lead to safety and customer service problems, and it could be hard to find reliable workers, the report said.

The city pays its employees better, has better benefits and could attract better-qualified drivers, it stated.

A 10-hour work day and alternative fuel study will also be looked at by the city in 2019.