Town no longer providing commercial bins to businesses
Esterhazy town council
May 4, 2026, 2:07 pm
Nicole Taylor Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
At their meeting on April 23, Esterhazy Town Council passed a motion that as of August 1, 2026, the town will no longer be covering the cost of commercial garbage bins for businesses.
The decision was made after a review by the town’s landfill committee, and was based on cost.
The town has 65 commercial bins and 1,102 residential rollout carts. In 2025, the cost of emptying the 65 commercial bins came to $93,534, while the cost of emptying the 1,102 rollout carts came to $57,454.80.
In 2024, the town spent $93,108.50 on commercial bins and $55,266.75 on residential carts.
The town’s landfill committee also made calls to other towns and found that most others in the region don’t cover the cost of commercial bins.
“Esterhazy Town Council has made the difficult decision to discontinue municipal commercial bin services, effective August 2026,” says Mayor Randy Bot. “This decision followed a thorough review by Council and Administration.
“The Town has made significant investments in waste management infrastructure and operates under a five-year permit from the Ministry of Environment, which requires responsible oversight and long-term sustainability in how waste services are managed.
“We want to acknowledge the important role this service has played in supporting our local business community over the years. We understand this change will have an impact, and it was not made lightly.
“As part of our review, we analyzed actual service usage and costs over the past two years. The data showed that commercial bin services represent a significant portion of overall tipping costs.
“2025 commercial tipping costs were $93,534 for 65 commercial bins, 2025 residential tipping costs were $57,454.80 for 1,102 roll-out carts, 2024 commercial tipping costs were $93,108.50, and 2024 residential tipping costs were $55,266.75.
“While commercial services involve far fewer bins, they account for a substantially higher portion of total tipping costs due to frequency of collection and the per-tip fee structure. Usage also varied widely between businesses, creating challenges in maintaining a system that is consistent, predictable, and equitable for all users.
“After evaluating all available options, it was determined that discontinuing municipal commercial bin services is the most responsible path forward to ensure long-term sustainability, fairness, and transparency across the waste management system.
“We want to emphasize that this decision is not a reflection on our business community, but rather a necessary step to align services with a sustainable and manageable model moving forward.
“The Town remains committed to supporting local businesses during this transition period. Additional information will be provided in the coming months to help ensure businesses have time to make appropriate arrangements.
“We sincerely appreciate the contributions of our business community and thank you for your understanding as we work to maintain a fair and sustainable system for everyone.”
Request to slow down traffic on Sumner Street
Maureen Hood came as a delegation to council to ask council if the town would consider placing a speed bump or a stop sign on Sumner Street to slow down traffic between 4th and 5th Avenue. Council decided to give the idea to the town’s Safety Committee to look at.
Request for fire services
Council received a written request from the Village of Bangor asking if the village could become part of the town’s fire board and receive fire services from Esterhazy. Currently Banger is being served by the city of Melville for fire services. The request was tabled.
Plans for Hazy Days
Council passed a motion to approve a liquor permit and extend the noise bylaw to 1 am for a tailgate party as part of Hazy Days on Friday, June 19 inside the town’s outdoor rink. The town also approved a liquor permit for the ball tournament as part of Hazy Days on Saturday, June 20.
There was also a request to host a car show in the parking lot of the SN Boreen Centre, but this request was tabled as a wedding has been booked into the hall for that day, and the town will be looking to suggest another location where the car show could be held.
Sewer line jetting quote approved
Council received three quotes for sewer line jetting and went with Municipal Sewer Maintenance Service at a cost of $92,445.
