With the start of the new year not only comes a possible change to your garbage and recycle pick up dates, but it also brings a new fee on your City of Saskatoon utility bill.

Saskatoon City Council voted in moving the cost of garbage and recycling pick up from your property tax to a utility, in the wake of the roll out of the mandatory organics program. And in conjunction with that, Council implemented variable bin sizes for garbage. So, while you won’t actually get to choose a bin size until later this year, for the first six months of 2024, you will pay a $9.92 fixed utility rate.

There are three bin sizes which will become available with the largest being the current 360-litre bin, a medium size bin at 240 litres and the third – and smallest bin – is 120 litres. It’s going to cost over $4 million dollars to purchase the two new bin sizes.

Once the first six months and fixed rate come to an end for everyone with the curbside black cart program, the small bin fee will be $3.73 a month, with the medium bin at $7.05 and a large bin, which is the size of the current bins, at $10.58 a month.