SASKATOON, SK: The City of Saskatoon bought an artificially intelligent recycling bin for more than $26,000 that resulted in items being put in the correct bin only 37.6 per cent of the time, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“It’s absurd the city thinks it should spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to tell those same taxpayers what bin to put their pop cans in,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “The City of Saskatoon is trying really hard to win a government waste award this year for this project.”

Using city and federal taxpayers’ money doled out through the Food Waste Prevention and Diversion: Research and Capacity Building Fund the City of Saskatoon purchased an AI recycling bin called “Oscar Sort” in January, 2025.

The high-tech trash bin only got a 37.6 per cent accuracy rate in July, according to the documents.

That’s a 12.4 per cent decrease in performance compared to June.

Oscar Sort is billed as a “smart recycling assistant,” or a “centralized zero-touch zero-waste station that gamifies recycling and boost(s) diversions,” according to the company that produces it.

In reality, Oscar Sort is a large flatscreen monitor placed behind recycling bins that tells people who approach it carrying garbage what bin they are supposed to place it in.

The city paid $23,657 for the Oscar Sort unit itself, plus $1,805 for the garbage and recycling bins.

The city spent an extra $800 for a tent to house Oscar, the computerized garbage can, at the Saskatoon Jazz Festival.

The city is getting $150,000 in total over two years from federal taxpayers in part to help fund this project. It has received $69,000 so far, according to the documents.

The City of Saskatoon is currently forecasting a 9.9 per cent property tax hike for 2026 and a 7.3 per cent hike in 2027.

“When Saskatoon’s budgeting is a dumpster fire, it’s ridiculous the city thinks this is a good use of taxpayer money, this stinks,” said Haubrich. “The city and the feds should be helping Saskatoon residents by making their lives more affordable, not by forcing them to pay for a smart screen garbage can that’s wrong more than half the time.”