Saskatoon residents could be looking at bi-weekly collection of garbage and the new organics bins.

That is among the recommendations the Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services Committee will be looking at on Monday.

Administration also advocates moving funding of the proposed Pay-As-You-Throw and mandatory organics programs from property taxes to utilities.

Director of Water and Waste Stream Russ Munro expects a three-and-a-half percent mill rate reduction while the average utility cost will be around 20-dollars a month.

Munro believes the majority of residents could save money by moving to smaller garbage bins without separating organic waste and says studies of other municipalities who have pay-as-you-throw plans have diverted as much as 40-percent of garbage from their landfills.

If approved by City Council, the plans for single-family dwellings will be phased in through 2019 with full implementation in 2020. Munro says they are still working on scenarios for multi-unit buildings. The City’s goal is 70-percent waste diversion from the landfill by 2023.

3.5% is the estimated drop in property tax with a switch to a pay as you throw garbage utility fee.

$75 is the estimated equivalent of a 3.5% drop in the mill rate. The average home is valued at $371,000.

26 – is equivalent to the number of garbage pick and organics pick up, each, by switching to a bi-weekly year round pick up for both.

$18 – a month is what you pay for the smallest size bin in year one, with no increases for the first three years of the program. (The largest bin is the bin size all households currently use)

$216 – is what you pay annually for the smallest size bin in year one, with no increases for the first three years of the program.

$19.70 – is what you would pay for a medium bin for the first year with a 40 cent a month increase in year 2 and 3.

$22.80 – is what you would pay in year one for what the city refers to as a large bin – the bin you have now – with a 70 cent increase in year two and three.

$55 – is what you pay now (early bird price) for a bi-weekly, 6 month a year, voluntary organics program.

2020 – is the year when the proposed changes would be introduced.

70 per cent – is the goal of the city in terms of diverting garbage from the land fill over five years.

23 – is the number of new employees the city expects it would need for the program.

$13.6 million – capital costs for the new program

$150-$170 million – is the estimated cost to shut down the old landfill and create a new one.