Saskatoon City Council has voted in favour of waste collection becoming a monthly utility.
“The decision today allows us to at least tell people what some of the next steps area going to be with some clarity, so I’m pleased about that,” Coun. Mairin Loewen said.
Councillors voted 6-5 on the decision in a city meeting on Monday afternoon.
“This is an important step forward for our City on our journey toward trying to achieve 70 per cent waste diversion, so we are pleased with Council’s decision,” Dan Willems, acting general manager of corporate performance, said in a news release.
Under the new system, people will select the size of waste bin they'd like to receive and pay according to size.
The city is still deciding the price, but cost estimates are $6 per month for a small bin, $8 for the medium bin and $11 for the largest bin.
The new waste program is part of the city's effort to save money in the long run and divert waste from the landfill, so the city doesn't have to pay for a new one.
"There are a lot of people in the community who aren’t using their current black bins to capacity and we see that through the data we have at the city,” Loewen said.
“Most black bins are only 40 per cent full. So what that tells us is, a lot of people would be happy to hav amslaler bin and I am hearing support for that concept.”
Council also decided the new organics program will be funded through property taxes.
In a prior meeting, councillors voted in favour of mandatory compost bins for Saskatoon homes.
Loewen said she wanted the organics to be funded the same way waste will be paid for - through a monthly utility.
Both the waste and organics are set to be collected every two weeks.
