Additional Garbage Collection on January 5 and 6, 2012 for some neighbourhoods

Update: January 3, 2012

2012 Garbage Collection Calendars: New Collection Routes Start in January

Neighbourhood growth and new efficiencies in garbage collection have led to changes in most garbage collection routes for residents using individual roll-out carts. The new route system will be implemented January 1, 2012.

To find your new route, match your neighbourhood with the colour-coded collection dates on the
2012 Garbage Collection Calendar (pdf). The full colour calendars include the collection dates for all homes that have individual roll-out carts.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDAR CAREFULLY FOR CHANGES STARTING JANUARY 2012. Most routes are changing.

Frequently Asked Questions (pdf) on the new 2012 Garbage Collection Calendars and the Route Changes in 2012.

If you have any questions about your garbage collection schedule, please call 975-2486 during normal business hours.

Update: November 30, 2011

Starting on Tuesday, October 11, winter hours will come into effect at the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre (Landfill) when it will be open daily between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre (Landfill) is open seven days a week, including holidays; closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. 

Update: October 5, 2011

The City of Saskatoon hosted an informational come-and-go open house in late June 2011 to discuss the proposed changes in the design and operations of the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre (Landfill) to be presented in the Landfill Optimization Report to City Council.  

At its August 17 meeting, City Council approved the Landfill Optimization Report. Environmental Services will now begin preparing to implement the improvements outlined in this report. See Frequently Asked Questions, or read the full report and its appendices. 

Find out more about the City's exciting Landfill Gas Collection project. This project has the potential to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by over 90,000 tonnes per year (equivalent to removing over 16,000 vehicles from our roadways) and provide enough power for 2,600 homes.

Individual roll-out carts are typically 28 inches wide and approximately four feet high. They have two large wheels at the back of the cart and are designed for easy handling.  Benefits of individual carts include:

• improved, scheduled service
• encouragement of personal waste minimization practices (including reuse, recycling, and composting);
• reduced garbage container fires;
• reduced graffiti;
• reduced scavenging;
• less heavy equipment in lanes;
• reduced dumping of illegal materials; and
• less damage to property from containers.

Automated Garbage Collection:
Please remove the cart from the street/lane within 24 hours after collection to prevent theft or damage of your roll-out cart.

Conversions of all neighbourhoods to individual roll-out waste carts
Updated January 26, 2011

In 2007, City Council approved the Saskatoon Waste and Recycling Plan. It is a 20 year plan for waste management in our city. The first stage of implementing many of the recommendations in the plan is to convert all neighbourhoods to individual roll-out waste carts.

At a meeting of City Council on July 21, 2010, a conversion schedule for the remaining neighourhoods was approved and will be implemented over the next year. As of the end of January, 2011, the remaining neighbourhoods to be converted, in alphabetical order, are: Buena Vista; Haultain; Holiday Park; Holliston; King George; Meadow Green; Nutana; and Westmount. Each neighbourhood will be notified in advance of their conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)

Front Street or Back Lane Collection for newly converted neighbourhoods?
All neighbourhoods will follow the same conversion process. An open house for the neighbourhood will be advertised and held to explain the conversion process and provide some detail on the trial period of front street collection. A few weeks after the open house, conversion will begin and every household in the neighbourhood will receive an individual roll-out waste cart, and the 300 gallon communal containers will be removed from the lanes. After the trial period of front street collection, the neighbourhood will be surveyed for their preference of collection (stay with front street or move to rear lane). NOTE: some areas of a neighbourhood with front street collection may require back lane collection for operational reasons such as high volume of traffic on their street, raised front yards with steps, or high volume of on street parking. Those areas would receive letters indicating their special circumstances with instructions on where to place their cart.

Front Street Collection - How it works

• Carts must be placed in the street (not on the sidewalk) prior to 7:00 a.m. on collection day.
• Carts must be placed on level ground, four feet from another cart or a parked car.
• If you live in a cul-de-sac, please refer to instructions in your annual garbage collection calendar for placement of your carts.

Back Lane Collection - How it works

• Carts must be placed in the lane prior to 7:00 a.m. on collection day.
• Carts must be placed on level ground, four feet from any obstruction (trees/poles/etc).
• Residents are reminded not to block gates or garage doors.
• Carts must be removed from the lane and returned to the resident's property within 24 hours of the time of collection.
• Carts will be placed on one side of the lane only based on operational needs.
• No waste placed on the ground beside the cart will be collected. Cart lids must be closed as well - don't overfill your cart.
• If rear gate or fence modifications are needed to accommodate rear lane access for the carts, this will be at the expense of the property owner. 

How can I reduce the amount of garbage I throw away?

• Compost your household organics and your leaves and grass. You can buy your own composter or take your leaves/grass and non-Elm tree branches to one of the City's Compost Depots.
• Recycle your tin cans, newspapers, cardboard/packaging boxes, milk and beverage containers at one of the City's six Recycling Depots.
• Recycle your glass and porcelain at the City's Landfill. A special collection bin is available on the site.

Use of your individual roll-out cart
The following items must NOT be placed in or near your cart:

These above items must be taken directly to the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre (Landfill). Excess refuse, whether bagged or unbagged, left beside the carts will NOT be picked up by drivers of automated collection trucks. The City may decide not to pick up a cart that includes these materials.

You Were Asking:
Why are there changes to collection during winter months?
Households tend to generate less garbage when the weather turns cold, and there are less issues with respect to odours from compostable material. To ensure efficient use of tax dollars, garbage is collected every other week starting in November. During the Christmas season, collection temporarily resumes weekly pick-up. These changes are noted on your pick-up schedule.

What happens when it gets really cold?
Should the temperature dip below -35 degrees on your pick-up day, City trucks may have a difficult time meeting the collection schedule. Should this occur, leave your cart out until it is collected. The City works with local media and provides news releases indicating resumed services and schedules of pick up times.

Recycling in Saskatoon:
To reduce the amount of materials going to the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre (Landfill), you can recycle a variety of household, yard, and shop products.

For More Information:
For additional information about appropriate materials in the containers or recycling opportunities, call our hotline during normal business hours: Environmental Services Branch, Waste Stream Management Section, 975-2486.