Calgary Council Rejects Unified Waste Fees

0:00It's April 14. This is Calgary News today, powered by AI. Calgary City Council's Executive Committee shut down a plan to bundle waste fees into one monthly charge for black garbage carts, blue recycling bins, and green compost carts. This affects only single-family detached homes, where folks now pay $7.71 for garbage, $2.17 for recycling, and $10.63 for organics, totaling $20.51 a month. I've pushed for the change ahead of the 2027-2030 budget, saying it would simplify accounting and make costs clearer. Without touching service levels, Alberta's extended producer responsibility program, kicking in last April, already slashed the blue bin fee from $9.34 by, shifting recycling costs to manufacturers. Counselors voted 5 to 10 against it, prioritizing transparency over efficiency. Some worry combining fees might look like the city was hiding costs, frustrating residents

1:00who tracked their bills closely. The carts rolled out over 17 years. Black and blue first in 2009 and 2010, green in 2017 as one. Integrated system. The department spends $92 million net yearly on collections, with $30 million on garbage, $43 million on recycling, and $49 million on compost, offset by $32 million from the province. They're aiming to ditch the last 8.8 million in property tax support by 2030 for full self-funding. One counselor floated shifting everything to property taxes for a 4% hike that could cut household fees by over $240 a year, or even pay per use like water bills. But the director defended uniform fees for efficiency, noting apartments wouldn't pay for a service they skip. It rolls on as the city eyes fare a waste funding.