Photo Credit: City of Saskatoon. Kitchen receptacle.

Saskatoon citizens will be receiving a green compost cart in the next two months in an attempt to remove organic materials from landfills.

Throughout March and April, Saskatoon residents will be given a green composting cart for disposing of materials like lawn clippings, leaves, and new to the compost list, are meat and dairy products.  Each household will also receive a compost bin and liners for their kitchen. Those who participated in the green cart program when it was voluntary will also receive the kitchen receptacle.

The City’s director of water and waste operations, Branden Lemke, explains that about 57 per cent of what the average Saskatoon household disposes as garbage can be composted. He adds that when buried without oxygen in a landfill, organics emit methane gas and turn into leachate, two substances that are harmful to the environment.

Lemke estimates that over a year, 20,000 tonnes of organic material will be diverted away from landfills as a result of the green cart expansion.  Bi-weekly collection will begin in May, and a $6.73 monthly charge will be added to each utility bill.