The Town of Okotoks will be rolling out their new garbage bins soon.
Back in November, the Town decided to switch to a bi-weekly schedule, to help save residents some money, and the Town will start swapping out the garbage bins for new, larger bins next week.
On Tuesday, March 4, crews will be out to begin their garbage cart replacement, which is expected to take about two months to complete.
Even though garbage collection will be moved to bi-weekly pickups, the new bins are 240 litres, whereas the current bins Okotokians are using are only 120 litres.
By doubling the size of the cart, it still provides residents with the same volume, so the same amount of garbage can be picked up every two weeks.
As a result of changing to bi-weekly pickup, Okotoks residents will see a reduction in their bi-monthly utility bill.
"The Town heard residents’ affordability concerns," explained the Manager of Waster Solutions with the Town of Okotoks, Jason London, in a recent media release. "Reducing the frequency of garbage collection while still collecting the same amount of garbage from homes allows the Town to pass savings on to residents."
Once the bins have been replaced, the new 240-litre bin will have a sticker on its lid, which will show the household's new pick-up day and bi-weekly start date.
If you already have one of the larger carts, don't worry, because crews will simply place a sticker on the existing card lid with the pick-up day and bi-weekly start date information.
While the bins are being swapped out, the Town is asking residents to continue putting out their garbage bins on their regular, weekly pick-up day until May 2.
At that point, the Town will be switching over to the bi-weekly schedule.
The Town will be putting out signs in each neighbourhood around town, which will let people know when their bins will be replaced.
On top of helping to save money, the Town is hoping that bi-weekly garbage collection will lead to people recycling and composting more, which will lower the environmental footprint of the Town.
To learn more about the garbage collection, click here.