The city's interim recycling program for paper and cardboard will be in place until at least the spring time, as committee members look at the details of two proposals for a long-term recycling program for Weyburn.

The Environmental Resources committee indicated the interim program appears to be working, although residents still need to break down their cardboard boxes so more volume can fit into the green collection bins, said council representative Rob Stephanson.

"People are throwing in full-sized boxes without flattening them, and we are asking people to please break them down as much as possible," he said, adding signs will be posted at the bins to remind residents to flatten their boxes.

Members of the committee met with the two groups proposing a long-term recycling plan, and reviewed additional information about each program, he said.

With word that a provincial stewardship program on recycling will be announced in the spring, the committee feels the city needs to wait until that time to see how this might affect their plans for recycling.

In the meantime, the committee is trying to determine if the volume of paper and cardboard is close to the same volume as what SARCAN was handling before they gave up the paper and cardboard last June.

Stephanson said the new green collection bins don't seem to be getting quite the same volume, but the landfill operator hasn't been reporting any extra new amounts of paper or cardboard going out to the city landfill either.

"We do have a concern with the commercial volume going to the landfill. In the springtime we'll have a plan that will take in all the concerns. We'll look at the locations and perhaps at the bins themselves, but in the meantime we're asking the public to continue using them," said Stephanson, noting the East Avenue location for the bins is one of the locations they will reconsider.

One concern that has arisen from the landfill is that too much leaves and grass clippings are going in with the regular garbage pickup, and the committee is trying to raise awareness that these can be taken free of charge to the compost pile at the landfill site.

Stephanson said the committee has tentatively asked for funds in the budget to allow for extra pickups by city crews of leaves and grass clippings, and noted there are groups, such as Canadian Mental Health, who provide pickup of these items as a service to those who don't have a truck to haul them out to the landfill.

The bylaw governing the operation of Hillcrest Cemetery was amended by council on Monday, making some changes in the fees and in some of the operations of the cemetery.

The changes in the cemetery operations include that opening and closing of graves will now be handled by city staff only, and that flowers left on a fresh grave site will be removed after 14 days. However, annual flowers may be planted at a grave site in the first year, noted city manager Bob Smith.

The changes in fees include a five-per-cent increase in plot fees, an 11-per-cent increase in opening and closing fees, and the fees for cremations will double from $125 to $250.

The increases were implemented to keep up with costs to the city in the operation of Hillcrest Cemetery. Smith also noted that revenues only cover roughly one-third of the operating costs of the cemetery, with city taxpayers paying the balance.

The city parks board is looking at installing metal silhouettes to help dress up the fencing that the CP Railway will be putting up along either side of the rail tracks through the city.

Council representative Ray Hamm said the board was concerned about what the CPR fencing will look like, particularly closer to the Highway 39 thoroughfare through the city.

At first the board looked at replacing some of the fencing, but when costs looked to be prohibitive, they changed to consider installing decorative metal silhouettes along the fence adjacent to the roadway.

About $2,000 has been budgeted by the board, with Sergei Sinicin to make the silhouette shapes.

The board is also planning to install a plaque in honour of out-going River Park attendant Fred Bennett, with the plaque to be installed in the hospitality room at River Park. The board will also hosting a special dinner for Fred and Audrey Bennett, as he is retiring from his duties as park attendant.