CURBSIDE RECYCLING CHARGES
The City of Lethbridge collects $7/month through residential utility bills to pay for a portion of the curbside recycling program expenses. The program is not solely funded through utility charges and is supported by revenue generated from the sale of recyclable materials and regional use of the City's Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) by other municipalities or industries.
What does my $7 go towards?
Costs include:
- Construction of the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and equipment that will sort recyclables
- Purchase of bins and carts for 33,000 households and 5,500 multi-family complexes
- Purchase of two additional collection trucks and modifications to current fleet
- Expansion of the garage facility to house additional trucks
- Processing and marketing the recyclable materials
- Resources for public education and outreach
- MRF operations (maintenance, utilities, staffing)
- Curbside collection of recyclable materials
What about Apartments and CondoS?
Multi-Family Dwellings Receive City Service and pay 7$/month
Residents in apartments and condo complexes pay $7/month.
Understanding your Utility Bill
Don't I already pay a Waste reduction charge on my utility bill?
Residents also pay a Waste Reduction Fee of $0.12/day and monthly charges vary depending on how many days there are in the month. This covers the cost of the City's three recycling stations and supports other waste diversion programs like fall leaf collection, Christmas tree recycling, yard waste sites and the collection of household hazardous waste.
If you're only picking my garbage up every other week, why isn't my Waste collection fee going down?
The Collection & Disposal Fee on your utility bill covers the cost of collecting and disposing of household waste at our landfill as well as other services. This includes:
- Large Item Service (LIS)
- free Saturday disposals at the Waste and Recycling Centre (landfill)
- and lifecycle costs of the Waste and Recycling Centre (landfill).
The cost of providing these services has increased over time but the fee to residents has remained the same since 2012. By maintaining the current waste collection fee, we can ensure the service is sustainable into the future.
For more information visit our Utility Customer Care.