The Medicine Hat landfill will reduce its hours of operations in an effort to curb operating costs, the utility department announced Thursday.
Effectively immediately, the facility will only be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Saturday on a year-round basis.
That removes evenings in the summer time, as well as Sundays for drop-offs. The landfill will also be closed on statutory holidays as a way to reduce labour costs.
The number of staff will not change as manpower is reallocated to maintenance activities and other projects.
“By adjusting the hours, we can ensure staff are also able to focus on crucial maintenance tasks, which is currently a challenge,” said Lora Brenan, general manager of the environmental utilities department. “This focus will lessen the potential for hidden costs associated with equipment downtime and early replacement.”
The department also estimates that the changes won’t affect the facility’s operations.
“Our data shows that Sundays are the slowest day of the week,” said Brenan. “We feel comfortable that this decision won’t create a significant inconvenience for our users.”
