Saskatoon company can't fulfill city's green bin contract

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The company hired to process compost from Saskatoon green bins has defaulted on its contract, according to the city.

An interim agreement has been in place with Loraas since April, after contractor Green Prairie Environmental (GPE) disclosed that the rural municipality of Corman Park denied it the use of land intended as the compost site.

Under the city’s contract, the firm was liable for the cost of this contingency plan.

“We are disappointed that the successful vendor was unable to provide organics processing services under the contract but are fortunate to have measures in place allowing us to pursue other options to avoid disruption of the program,” says Brendan Lemke, director of water and waste operations.

In a news release Wednesday, the city said Loraas will continue to do the job in the short-term while the city looks at ways to reduce costs by doing a portion of the processing in-house.

“By sending materials to both the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre and the West Compost Depot, we will help to reduce financial pressures on the utility rates in the short term,” Lemke said.

Green Prairie Environmental was awarded the organics processing contract in September 2020.

“Despite it being a key condition of the contract, GPE did not site a permanent location for an organics processing facility,” the city said.

“As preparation for a site progressed, GPE was unsuccessful in obtaining regulatory approval to construct the facility.”

The program has diverted more than 15,000 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill since it started, Lemke says.

The city says Loraas does not send compost material to the landfill unless contaminated.