Recycling fees in Warman will be increasing in 2023 and 2024 as a result of a new agreement between the City of Warman and Loraas Disposal North Ltd.
Warman City Council gave three readings at a meeting on Monday, January 23 to a bylaw setting fees for curbside recycling. The fees were established in an agreement signed recently between the city and the disposal company. The previous agreement expired at the end of May, 2022.
The new three-year agreement includes a 0% fee increase for 2022, a 3% increase for 2023 and a 3% increase for 2024.
In 2023, the fee will amount to $5.87 per month per 95-gallon recycling cart and $2.95 per month for a multi-unit dwelling bin.
In 2024, the fee will be $6.05 per month per 95-gallon recycling cart and $3.05 per month for a multi-unit dwelling bin.
The city will be providing official notification to residents and businesses of the fee increases in the monthly utility bill slated to go out January 31. The notification will include an explanation that the city is simply passing on a fee increase from the supplier; there is no increase in revenue for the city.
Initially, in the spring of 2022 when the old agreement was due to expire, Loraas had proposed a 7% increase in fees. The company cited mounting costs, including fuel and inflationary pressures as the reason for the increase.
However, Warman city councillors balked at such a steep hike. Subsequent negotiations between the city and the company resulted in an agreement to reduce the increase to 6% spread over three years.
Loraas has been serving the City of Warman with both garbage and recycling curbside pickup for the past 14 years, and according to a report from the city administration tabled at the January 23 council meeting, the service has been excellent. The report added that the cost of the service is in line with what other municipalities of similar size in Saskatchewan pay.