The city currently does not offer a citywide yard waste collection program.

Waste360 Staff, Staff

August 10, 2017

1 Min Read
Saskatoon, Can., Looking for Ways to Boost Diversion and Extend its Landfill’s Life

Seeking to extend the life of its landfill—and push off the estimated tens of millions in costs to close it and build a new one—the Canadian city of Saskatoon, Sask., is exploring ways to boost diversion, with a particular focus on reducing the amount of organic waste that ends up in the landfill.

The city currently does not offer a citywide yard waste collection program. Currently, it offers a subscription-based organics collection program that about 11 percent of single-family households currently participate in. The city is looking at ways to offer the collection services more widely.

Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more information:

Two possible models are proposed. The first would be a flat rate system in which everyone is charged the same fee; it could be implemented as soon as next year. The other involves a variable rate model based on usage, using either cart size or collection frequency to set the rate. Such a system could be implemented no sooner than 2020. The report allays concerns the city might move to a system based on weight.

Costs to establish a system in which trash is weighed are too high, Wallace said. She also assured residents that any user-fee system would not entail charges on top of property taxes, which currently pay for waste management. The recycling programs introduced for homes earlier this decade are paid for through a flat fee and provincial funding.

The report says if the city moves to a user-fee system, referred to in city documents as a “waste utility,” about $8.9 million would be removed from property taxes. That’s about $68 a year for an average household.

Read the full story here.

About the Author(s)

Stay in the Know - Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Join a network of more than 90,000 waste and recycling industry professionals. Get the latest news and insights straight to your inbox. Free.

You May Also Like