With an Organics Collection program set to start in Saskatoon in 2023, the City is working towards fine tuning some of the details.

While more decisions are expected next month, Angela Gardiner General Manager of Utilities and Environment, explains some of the additional items that will be able to be placed bins were negotiated into the contract with the processing contractor. She says going forward the new program will include a lengthy list of food scraps, food soiled paper products, and compostable plastic bags.

Gardiner explains these items will be allowed in the future because the new processing facility will be able to accommodate that. Gardiner states there will be a long list of materials that will be accepted, but as with any organics processing program, the City will be limited to things the processing facility will accept.

The city says the existing subscription based curbside organics program saw an increase from 9,700 customer in 2019 to over 11,000 in 2020. While a contract is in place for the processing of organic materials, Gardiner says two primary decisions still need to be made.

First will be figuring out how organics will be collected, whether it is done internally, by a third party or by both. A report on that is expected in June. The second will be where collections will take place including front streets, back lanes or a combination of both. A report on that is expected later this year or early in 2022.