Collection bills set to rise when curbside kicks in
Hatters will see pennies per day added to their garbage collection bill as of Jan. 1, but also a new line item that will be set at zero until the city’s curbside recycling program is operating this spring.
At that time, $4 to $5 could be added to monthly bills that are only set to rise by 42 cents in general fee increases, according to business plans presented to council this week.
Last year council approved the program that will be operated by Can-Pak Environmental Services, which will also purchase the city’s recycling and sorting plant.
At the time, administrators said the rate for curbside pickup of unsorted recyclable would be less than $5 per house, making it one of the cheapest offered in Western Canada.
Officials said this week that the final rate will be determined and sent to council for approval when the program is launched in April-May time frame.
The proposed general increase is mostly related to lost revenue in the solid waste division, documents presented to council show.
Solid waste collection is charged on a per day basis, and in 2018, for a 31-day month, the charge is $3.71 for recycling, and $18.48 for general trash service.
Commercial customers will see their monthly rate for bin pickup rise by $1.93.
The tipping fee for loads dropped off at the landfill will rise to $75 per tonne, up $12.85 over the 2017 rate.
Last year council approved a plan to raise tipping fees but discount sorted loads of construction and commercial trash that would improve diversion of material into recycling stream, rather than into the landfill.