Summary#

Calgary City Council voted to file the report on Waste & Recycling’s rate structure and funding model. That means Council did not approve the staff recommendation to combine the monthly Black, Blue and Green Cart charges, or direct staff to prepare the related bylaw amendments. City staff said the goal of the proposed change was to simplify billing and better reflect how the cart services work together.

• The proposed single monthly charge, planned to start January 1, 2027, was not approved.
• Council did not change Waste Bylaw 4M2020 through this decision.
• The vote to file the report carried 13 to 2. Councillors Yule and Atkinson voted against it.

What it means for you#

• Households with cart service: This decision does not combine the three cart charges. The report describes the current system as having separate charges.
• Residents generally: The decision does not change waste collection service levels or create a new service.
• Waste & Recycling: Council did not direct City staff to prepare the proposed bylaw amendments. The report’s discussion of shifting away from property-tax support was not approved as a funding change by this decision.

Money#

The decision to file the report does not itself authorize new spending or change rates.

• City staff estimated that making the proposed billing-system change would cost $400,000 once, to be covered within current budgets. The change was not approved.
• City staff reported that property taxes then provided about $8.8 million, or 4.5 per cent, of Waste & Recycling Services’ funding. Staff planned an internal transfer of $3.5 million and said the remaining $5.3 million might be replaced through cost reductions, changes to fees and charges, or other funding. Council did not approve those changes in this decision.

What is unclear#

• The materials do not give Council’s reasons for filing the report.
• It is unclear whether, or when, City staff may bring back a new proposal on cart charges or Waste & Recycling funding.
• The report says staff would publish a breakdown of how a single charge funds the cart service if the change were approved. That change was not approved, and the materials do not say whether staff will publish such a breakdown anyway.

Case for#

• A possible case for filing the report is that some customers may prefer to see separate charges for each cart. City staff identified that preference as a possible source of complaints.
• Filing the report left the existing separate-charge approach in place rather than approving a billing change. The materials do not state that this was Council’s reason.
• Councillors Yule and Atkinson voted against filing the report, but the materials do not give their reasons.

Case against#

• City staff argued that one charge would better reflect the shared costs and integrated operation of the Black, Blue and Green Cart services, and make the funding easier to explain.
• City staff said using the three-cart system as intended can reduce landfill costs and environmental harms. Filing the report did not advance the proposed charge change.
• The recommendation would have directed staff to prepare bylaw amendments for the 2027–2030 budget process, with a planned start date of January 1, 2027. Council did not give that direction.