Saskatoon city council will discuss new options for household garbage collection next week including new cart sizes with cheaper fees.
Following the success of Saskatoon’s new green composting bins, the city said that more waste is being diverted from the black carts, prompting smaller cart sizes for households.
“Our aim is to offer residents a range of cart sizes that align with the waste requirements of their households,” said Brendan Lemke, director of Water and Waste Operations.
“With the success of the Green Cart Program, there is less waste in the black carts. The variable utility model means that households will have more control over their costs and only pay for the waste they actually produce.”
City administration will present a plan to council on Tuesday, which will also aim to shift the funding of black garbage carts from property taxes to a utility model for 2024.
The current bins cost households a fixed utility rate of approximately $9.92 per month for a 360-litre bin.
The new options would include a medium version of the cart holding 240 litres and costing approximately $7.05 monthly, and a 120-135 litre bin for around $3.75.
Size change requests for black carts would begin in January if approved by council, with the smaller sizes rolling onto curbs in spring of 2024.
Mid-year, after all of the cart swaps are complete, the lower utility fees would kick in, respective to the size of bin a household uses.
If all of the changes are agreed upon by council, they will be formally approved on Sept. 27.