Green carts to be delivered to Saskatoon households between March 13 and April 29
A report to the Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Standing Policy Committee meeting on Environment Utilities and Corporate Services provides specific timelines on the delivery of green carts in Saskatoon.
On Monday, March 13, the cart manufacturer, Toter, will begin delivering the roll-out carts along with a kitchen pail, 10 Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified compostable bags and an information package to households that currently have roll-out black garbage carts and blue recycling carts. More than 60,000 carts will be delivered before the end of April, with the first cart collection dates starting in May.
“Each household will receive a green cart that will accept more materials than the previous subscription program,” says Director of Water and Waste Operations, Brendan Lemke. “Residents who already have green carts from the previous subscription program will continue to use them but will still receive the kitchen pail, BPI bags and information package.”
On Tuesday, March 7, an online map will be available for residents to pinpoint exactly when cart deliveries are taking place in their neighbourhood. Green carts will be delivered to the front of each property and can be placed for pick-up in the location where their black and blue cart collection happens.
Green Prairie Environmental (GPE) is currently building an organics processing facility, which is expected to handle about 20,000 tonnes or 3,300 truckloads of material from the green cart program every year. GPE plans to have the facility ready by May 1, however the City is developing a contingency plan for an alternate processing facility to ensure there are no interruptions in launching the program.
Lawn clippings, leaves, meat, dairy and paper towels are among the many things that residents will be able to divert from their garbage to the green cart. Because more than half of what we throw away can be composted, garbage cart collection will continue on a biweekly schedule once the green cart service begins.
A monthly average fee of $6.73 will appear on City utility bills beginning in May. The fee covers collection, composting, cart maintenance, education programs and program management. Plans for a multi-unit residential organics program are in the works, but for now, residents who utilize the large communal garbage and recycling bins are not affected by these changes and will not be charged monthly. This summer, businesses and organizations that generate food or yard waste as part of their operations will be required to separate it from the garbage.
For more information about green carts, and to download the ‘Saskatoon Waste Wizard’ app where you can check collection dates and sign up for collection reminders, please visit saskatoon.ca/greencart.