March 11, 2019 – Chestermere, AB – Last Fall, City Council committed to bringing more oversight to Chestermere Utilities Inc. (CUI) and finding ways to bring stability to utility rates. While the final structure of CUI has yet to be determined, Council is exploring the option of outsourcing garbage, compost and recycling services.
“We recognize that our residents are feeling the pressure of utility rate fees,” says Mayor Marshall Chalmers, who is also the Chair of the Board of CUI. “We are working hard to find solutions for all utility services and are starting with garbage, compost and recycling services.”
Earlier in January, the City and CUI announced that they were issuing a formal ‘Request for Expressions of Interest’ to gather information on what it could look like to outsource waste collection and processing.
Council reviewed the results of that initial exploration which included submissions from nine different companies. Pleased with sufficient interest and a variety of options, City Council has chosen to issue a ‘Request for Proposals’ that seeks official tenders from companies on how they would provide this service and for how much.
“Our first priority is to provide safe, stable and sustainable utility services to Chestermere residents,” says Mayor Chalmers. “Having looked at other options, outsourcing waste collection appears to be the most promising route at the present time so we will continue to explore the possibilities in front of us.”
Regardless of what contractor is selected, Mayor Chalmers would like to remind residents of the importance of proper sorting of garbage, recycling and organics.
“We get charged extra when there are ‘contaminated’ bins with items that don’t belong there. I encourage all residents to do their part and ensure they are sorting their items properly,” he said. Residents can expect to see reminders about what goes where in the coming weeks.
The RFP is now available at www.chestermere.ca/bids and will be open until March 22, 2019.
