
Loraas, the interim service provider appointed by the Saskatoon city officials, is currently fulfilling its role of collecting and processing compost bins. This temporary assistance follows the unfortunate default of Green Prairie Environmental (GPE) on its contract, a direct result of its failed acquisition of usage rights for a particular site intended for compost from the rural municipality of Corman Park.
As part of the city’s contractual agreement, the GPE was subject to absorbing the costs of this unexpected contingency. Brendan Lemke, the Director of Water and Waste Operations expressed his disappointment over the inability of GPE to deliver the services as contracted. However, he also expressed gratitude for the safeguards in place that now allow the city to explore alternative avenues to maintain the compost program’s continuity.
Going forward, Loraas will continue with the process until a more permanent solution is in place. Meanwhile, Saskatoon City is considering reducing costs by handling a segment of the compost processing internally. The processing will be done at two locations – the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre and the West Compost Depot. This strategy is aimed at reducing the eventual impact on utility rates, on a temporary basis, as per Lemke’s explanation.
GPE was originally bestowed with the organics processing contract in September 2020. However, in what was considered a crucial condition of the contract, GPE failed to establish a permanent composting facility. They also faltered at gaining regulatory permission for the facility’s construction, despite their extensive preparations.
The organic waste compost program has been notably successful so far. “The program has diverted more than 15,000 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill since its inception,” Lemke added. Additionally, Loraas explicitly stated that it will not divert compost materials to the landfill unless absolutely necessary due to contamination.