The City of Portage la Prairie considered changing its solid waste disposal and pickup system to the use of carts. Carts are distributed to each residence to use for waste cans, and are clasped by machinery on a truck and dumped mechanically, lessening the human labour involved.

Director of operations Jocelyn Lequier-Jobin says that option was not chosen.

"We recently had our tender go out for our solid waste contract," says Lequier-Jobin. "We had two options. In the tender, we were looking at going with a cart system. In the end, Council decided to stick with the status quo of continuing things as they currently are. So, the low bidder for it was Waste Connections, which is our current contractor."

She says there won't be any changes that residents will see and the contract is for three years. 

"After that, we may be looking at the carts again, or we may just decide to go with the status quo, but we'll see in the next three years," notes Lequier-Jobin. 

Lequier-Jobin explains pick-up costs can be less by using the carts, but the cost of the carts is an additional cost, which balances it all out. 

"We may be looking at carts for our recycling program as well," as Lequier-Jobin.