Waste Management Fee  (APPLIES TO RESIDENTS ONLY)

What are those fees on your utility bill?
Each resident pays $20.34 (effective Jan. 1 2012) for a garbage service fee and $12.79 (effective Jan. 1 2012) for an environmental service fee every two months. This garbage service fee covers residential garbage collection. The environmental service fee covers the following waste management programs; recycling, composting (both backyard and community composting) and household hazardous waste collection. Airdrie residents have one of the lowest garbage utilities in Alberta.

Waste Management Fee is a user pay system

Why User-Pay?
The City of Airdrie has a User-Pay System, “Waste Less - Pay Less,” for waste collection. It works by taking the cost for waste collection out of the general tax base and putting this charge on the residential utility bill. The User-Pay System allows Airdrie residents to see the direct cost associated with waste management. The City of Airdrie has a two unit limit as part of this system.

Waste Less - Pay Less:
By using the City’s recycling, composting and other waste reduction programs, a resident can stay under the two unit limit avoiding paying for extra garbage tags. If a resident has more than two bags, over the limit garbage tags can be purchased for their excess garbage.

It's Working!
In the last 16 years residents have diverted over 13,011 tonnes of recyclables and over 606,115 litres of household hazardous wastes from the landfill. Since 1992 the User-Pay System has also allowed the City to avoid paying over $383,659 in landfilling fees. This savings helps to offset increasing garbage costs over the years.

Advantages of User-Pay 

  • Processing less waste costs less
  • Increased interest in recycling and composting
  • Monetary savings for households
  • Encourage educated purchasing
  • Decrease in residential waste being sent to the landfill
  • Less damage to the environment

 

Year Population Residential Waste (Tonnes) Waste per Person (Tonnes/yr) Tonnes Recycled Bag Limit
2009 38,091    7,465 0.20 4692* 2
2008 34,116    6,904 0.20 2437 2
2007 31,514 5,185 0.165 1995 2
2006 28,927 4,748 0.164 1686 2
2005 27,069 4,309 0.159 1647 2
2004 25,606 4,378 0.171 1327 2
2003 23,680 4,017 0.170 1248 2
2002 21,979 3,866 0.176 1158 2
2001 20,382 3,516 0.173 1103 2
2000 19,165 3,237 0.169 1004 3/2
1999 18,406 3396 0.185 729 3
1998 18,400 3,391 0.184 676 3
1997 17,247 3,422 0.198 593 3
1996 16,500 3,148 0.191 505 3
1995 16,000 2,964 0.185 508 4
1994 14,583 2,768 0.190 461 5
1993 13,568 2,945 0.217 358 No Limit
1992 13,000 2,950 0.227 162 No Limit
1991 12,289 3,088 0.251 N/A No Limit
1990 11,904 2,944 0.247 N/A No Limit
 

 

* Increase in recycled material due to the introduction of residential concrete, asphalt, wood and shingles collected at the transfer site.

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