Should Saskatoon move to bi-weekly garbage collection all year long? Consider the pros and cons

Moving to a bi-weekly garbage collection schedule might save the City of Saskatoon about $500,000 a year but could end up costing the city in other ways, officials say.

Earlier this summer, as part of an ongoing effort to bring down expected property tax increases for 2020 and 2021, city councillors brainstormed several potential cost-saving measures, including less-frequent garbage collection.

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Garbage is currently picked up in black bins every week from May to September and every two weeks from October to April.

Moving to bi-weekly service year-round would save $309,000 in fleet fuel and maintenance costs and $191,000 in seasonal staff costs, according to a new report going to city councillors on Monday. 

The benefits may not end there, according to the city. More people might begin using city-issued green carts for food and yard waste. And if the green-cart program doubled its subscribers, 3,300 tonnes of organics could be diverted from the landfill. The city currently struggles with its waste diversion rate.

• City of Saskatoon says too much garbage going to landfill

Green cart program cost could go up 

But doubled participation in the organics program — assuming the uptake was that substantial — would effectively wipe out the $500,000 in savings from a reduced black bin schedule.

"Currently there are approximately 10,000 green cart program subscribers and if that number doubled, the cost to the city for the program would increase by $550,000," according to the city report. 

Moving to bi-weekly garbage collection would eliminate the need for 12 to 14 of the city's fleet of 26 garbage trucks — though the city would still need to maintain and pay off all trucks in the fleet.

"Although there is a very limited to non-existent market for used garbage collection trucks, if trucks were retired they would be sold on the open market for whatever price the city can get for them."

City councillors are scheduled to discuss the issue Monday at city hall starting at 1 p.m.