There will be fewer dumping days at the landfill in the city of Moose Jaw this year.

The city has a $10 tipping fee on most days at the landfill, except in recent years there were exemptions for residents for a week in the spring and a week in the fall with an intent to encourage spring cleanup.

City council Monday approved a plan to have two weekends a year be free dumping days at the landfill for organic yard waste.

“The intent... is to strike a balance between the service that should be used for cleaning up your yard and cleaning up the community, to promote a welcoming and clean city balanced with the cost and utilization of the landfill that does incur as a result of that program,” said city engineer Josh Mickleborough.

Dual axle and commercial vehicles are not eligible for the program this year.

Coun. Chris Warren said that he considered being in favour of no free landfill days.

“One of the things that administration talked about, (was) the fact that we’ve got a landfill and the number one commodity there is airspace,” Warren said. “The more free debris we take, the less airspace that we have, and the quicker we have to replace or repair that current landfill, which will be in the tens of millions of dollars. I certainly don’t want to have a free-for-all and that anything can come.”

Mayor Fraser Tolmie said the change was going to feel like ‘dropping the hammer’ on residents after the garbage pickup issues that dominated the landscape the last couple of years.

“I would prefer to see a much more gradual approach,” Tolmie said. “Also, continue awareness and education for our community for what is surrounding our landfill. It’s a legacy site.”

The date for the spring weekend will be announced by the end of April.