By Sheri Ebert

Recycling talk takes over Saskatoon City Council

May 25, 2011 | 6:56 AM

It's still unclear what exact shape curbside recycling will take in Saskatoon. But one thing is for sure, there won't be a referendum on the topic in the 2012 civic vote. Councillor Moe Neault's idea to put the topic to citizens in a referendum was defeated at City Council Tuesday evening 7-4.

“If people want curbside recycling so bad, it's out there. There's two companies doing it today. One's doing it for eight dollars a month, one's doing it for eleven. Get two bins! Do what you want to do. But why are we struggling?” questioned an exasperated Neault.

Councillor Glen Penner disagreed with the idea of putting it to the people.

“If we were to have a vote on every issue that's important to the citizens of Saskatoon, that's all we'd do is have referendums. We would have had a referendum on the police station. We didn't have a referendum on the bridge, the south bridge. Didn't have a referendum on River Landing. We would have to have a referendum on every budget item if we were to follow the logic of having a referendum on this item, because it's a money item that affects everybody,” remarked Penner.

There were so many people wanting to speak about the proposed mandatory curbside recycling program that councillors didn't even get to debate two reports on the topic. Those have been put over to next week.

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The plan is to charge each home $4.24 for mandatory curbside pickup per month and to divide the city into four zones, which would allow multiple companies to take part.

Supporters of Cosmopolitan Industries were there to speak out. They are concerned that the non-profit, which hires people with disabilities to process paper, will be shut out of the recycling game once these new recycling contracts are tendered.

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