As of November, waste from green organic carts will be collected every other week until early April.
And switching out blue or black waste carts for another size will cost Red Deerians $50 starting next year.
Red Deer city council made those decisions during Monday’s council meeting, which was not viewable to the public because the computer server at City Hall crashed.
Communications staff were live-tweeting council decisions.
The city’s environmental services department also recommended that green cart pick up happen every other week during the winter months, when there isn’t enough organic debris to make weekly pickup necessary.
This bi-monthly green cart pick up will start Nov. 16 and go through to early April. The city will save about $94,000 annually through this change.
The department had reported to council that of the more than 60,000 blue and black carts that were delivered to city residents, only 3.3 per cent of Red Deer household opted for different cart sizes.
Councillors heard the cost to the city for this exchange is $50. So far, residents have not been charged that fee. But going forward, administration recommended that the cost be recovered from the person who’s requesting a cart exchange.
When the utility bylaw is updated to reflect 2021 rates, it will cost residents $50 to exchange carts — a one-time fee if two cart exchanges are requested at once, or a $50 fee per exchange if they are requested at different times, necessitating two deliveries.
This will not apply to newly built homes or after a new occupant moves into an existing home.