In the fall of 2011 we shared the results of the Brady Road Landfill environmental impact assessment and presented opportunities for the future of Brady Road Landfill:

• A summary of the questions raised at the public meeting, along with responses provided
• Public Participation Report

In December 2011 we submitted our Environment Act Proposal to the Province for licensing of Brady Road Landfill.

For information on our submission please visit the Province's Public Registry and Proposals Open for Public Comment.

We have been operating Brady Landfill under a permit since 1973. Provincial regulations have evolved and landfills in Manitoba are now required to be licensed. As part of the licensing process, we prepared an environmental impact assessment.

City staff were be available to share information and welcome feedback on the future of Brady Landfill and the environmental impact assessment at:

• A public meeting – October 27, 2011, 6:30pm-8:30pm, St Norbert Community Centre - 3450 Pembina Hwy
• The Green Lifestyle and Natural Living Show – October 22nd & 23rd, 2011, Winnipeg Convention Centre (please note, there is an admission fee)

Brady Landfill Today

• The City's sole landfill since 1998
• Entire site is about 790 hectares (larger than River Heights) – about 1/8 of the site is used for garbage burial
• Handles more than 400,000 tonnes of garbage each year – about 1/3 of this is organic waste
• Emits greenhouse gases equal to the annual emissions from about 70,000 passenger vehicles
• Produces up to six tanker trucks of leachate every day for treatment (the harmful liquid produced by moisture filtering down through garbage)

Current Diversion Efforts at Brady

More than 11,800 tonnes of material is kept out of the landfill and reused each year, including:

• more than 5,000 tonnes of glass used for road base
• over 4,000 bicycles collected to date for refurbishing
• more than 2,500 appliances per year recycled for the metal
• more than 500 tonnes of metal recycled
• more than 2,000 tonnes of wood waste turned into flooring and other products
• 4,200 tonnes of yard waste composted
• over 100 tonnes of tires made into new products

Environmental Impact Assessment

Stantec, an independent consulting firm, conducted the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Key Technical Findings

• The landfill does not impact the quality of groundwater beneath the landfill
  • the landfill is situated on a thick layer of clay separating it from the groundwater
  • the groundwater in this area is not used as a drinking water source because of its naturally occurring salt content
• Instances of odour are short-lived and not routine
  • improved operational practices and diversion opportunities will further reduce odours
• The landfill is not harmful to human health
  • medical data indicates no human health implications throughout the 40 years this landfill has been operating

Implications of Findings

• The deep clay subsurface has effectively prevented harmful substances from reaching the groundwater
• Use of artificial liners under future garbage burial areas will create even more protection
• Retrofitting current burial areas for landfill gas recovery and improved diversion and operations will almost eliminate odours

Environmental Site Improvements

Benefits	Improvement
Install a landfill gas system	Reduces odour, greenhouse gas
Install a liner at the bottom of the burial areas	Protects groundwater
Build a wetlands area	Protects surface water
Apply cover and vegetation over completed burial areas	Reduces leachate, and nuisance birds and animals

The Future of Brady Road Landfill

Rename the site to The Brady Road Resource Management Facility, to reflect:

• 35 – 50% less garbage requiring burial by 2020 once the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan is in place
• increased diversion opportunities

New Diversion Opportunities

• Facility to process recyclable materials
• Composting facility that would produce material that could be sold, given to the public, or used on City property
• "Green Business Park" for local industries that would remake the materials on site into reusable items for sale
• Research and business development centre
• Community Resource Recovery Centre - drop off area for material that could be processed and reused, resold or recycled (e.g., construction and demolition material, household items)

Other Opportunities

• capture of gas in burial and composting areas will create potential for energy recovery
• recreation area (e.g., park, sports field)
• community gardens
• habitat creation including wetlands and forest

Next Steps

• Incorporate your feedback into the environment licence application
• Submit Environment Act Proposal to Province by end of 2011
• Report back to community on outcome of licence application
• Rezone the site to accommodate diverse uses
• Ongoing community conversation on details of future plans

For more information, please contact us using our form or by phone at 311.

More than 2,500 Winnipeggers participated in nine months of city-wide public consultations to help develop a new innovative garbage and recycling master plan that provides uniform affordable services city-wide and offers citizens numerous environmental programs so Winnipeg can increase diverted waste by 50% or more.

The plan was adopted at the October 19, 2011 City Council meeting

To view the master plan, visit the City Clerk's Decision Making Information System and select the agenda for the October 19, 2011 Council meeting..

For additional information, see:

• Garbage & Recycling Master Plan FAQ
• Media Release
• Consultant's Final Report

Since last November, we've asked for you to share your thoughts on garbage, recycling and composting for Winnipeg. Based on what we heard and best practices, here is the draft Comprehensive Integrated Waste Management Plan report from our consultant, Stantec Engineering, with recommendations for Winnipeg's garbage, recycling and composting programs for the next 20 years. This report provides recommendations for:

• options that together will keep more than 50% of our residential garbage out of the landfill,
• equitable and uniform garbage collection service
• supporting the Brady Road Landfill environmental licensing process

In 2009, Winnipeggers landfilled over 340,000 tonnes of material, and recycled and composted approximately 54,000 tonnes of material, for a diversion rate of about 15%. The recommendations in this report have the potential to increase the diversion rate to 35% by 2016 and greater than 50% by 2020.

Recommendations

Here is a summary of the recommendations in the report.

Garbage Collection

• Implement automated garbage cart collection city-wide for single family homes
• Phase out all other types of collection for single family homes (e.g., manual, AutoBin, wheelbarrow cart collection)
• Provide bulky waste pickup at a cost of $5 per item
• Provide surplus waste pickup at a cost of $5 for up to three standard size garbage bags
• Continue to collect abandoned waste

Diversion

• Implement automated recycling cart collection city-wide for single family homes, replacing the current manual blue box collection program
• Increase opportunities for away-from-home recycling
• Offer a biweekly leaf and yard waste collection program seven months per year, and discontinuing the seasonal drop off depots
• Implement a trial curbside kitchen waste collection program, and based on the results, recommending a full-scale program.
• Establish up to 4 Community Resource Recovery Centres (CRRC) where residents could drop off material that could be reused, resold or recycled (e.g., construction and demolition material, household items).
  • It is expected that industry stewards (e.g., household hazardous waste, electronic waste) and non-profit organizations could participate, by potentially hosting on-site depots for various materials.

Brady Road Landfill

• Change the focus of Brady Road Landfill from waste burial to resource recovery, and renaming it Brady Road Resource Management Facility
• Upon approval of this report, prepare an Environment Act proposal for licensing of the Brady Road Landfill site to reflect the uses outlined in the master plan
• Rezone the site to accommodate diverse uses which could include a "Green Business Park" for commercial/industrial resource recovery, product development and sales

The full full draft of the report can be found at the bottom of this page.

Benefits

The report provides options with a number of social and environmental benefits for the community and residents.

Social benefits

• Greater access to environmental programs and diversion opportunities
• Help reduce illegal dumping
• Improve fairness by providing uniform services and fees for all residents
• Improve control of vermin, odours and wind-blown litter, and significantly reduce collection worker injuries
• Reduce incidents of vandalism, fire and graffiti

Environmental benefits

• Significantly increase garbage diversion rates
• Reduce odour, leachate production and operating costs at Brady Road Landfill, while improving safety
• Increase the lifespan of Brady Road Landfill, preserving capacity for the future
• Reduce greenhouse gas production (300,000 tonnes CO2e annually within 5 years, 569,000 tonnes CO2e annually within 20 years)

When would these changes take place?

The Garbage and Recycling Master Plan will go forward to Council this fall and will be informed by this report. If the plan is approved, changes to your garbage and recycling services would start in 2012.

If the plan is approved, changes to your garbage and recycling services would start in 2012.

• Garbage and recycling cart delivery would take place summer to fall 2012, depending on location.
• Biweekly yard waste collection would begin fall 2012, depending on garbage cart delivery.
• The first CRRC at Brady Road Landfill could be operating as early as 2013.
• A trial program for kitchen organic waste could take place as early as 2014.

If you live in an apartment or condo building, we are working to develop more programs specifically for you and will roll them out once they're ready.

We will also continue to work on and implement strategies to support diverting waste from businesses and institutions.

Cost

The consultant is recommending two methods to fund the additional services:

• Either that program costs be funded through a combination of property taxes and an annual user fee.
  • Property taxes would support diversion programs (e.g., recycling and composting)
  • The user fee would fund the balance of garbage collection costs and would be $50.00 per single-family dwelling unit per year, billed quarterly ($12.50/3 months) on the water bill.
• Or that the property taxes entirely fund the additional services outlined in the report

Reports

For more information on the Draft Comprehensive Integrated Waste Management Plan report, download the:

• Draft Executive Summary Comprehensive Integrated Waste Management Plan*
• Draft Comprehensive Integrated Waste Management Plan*
• Phase 2 Public Participation Reports

*The FINAL Comprehensive Integrated Waste Management Plan is now available for download.

In Phase 2 we shared options for the future of garbage, recycling and organics in Winnipeg. We wanted to know what you thought would work best for our city. We also shared plans for the future of Brady Road Landfill.

Phase 2 ran from March-April 2011 and during this time we:

• Hosted 11 open houses, 4 round table sessions and several other special events
• Conducted phone and web surveys
• Shared information about these options through blogs and videos on SpeakUpWinnipeg.com
• Continued meeting with our Stakeholder Advisory Committee
• Received feedback from thousands of Winnipeggers

You can download all of the reports here:

• Phase 2 Public Participation Report
• Leger Phase 2 Phone Survey Report
• Leger Phase 2 Web-link Survey Report
• Omnibus Garbage and Recycling Plan Report
• Open House Feedback Form and Dotmocracy Report
• Open Comment Feedback Summary Report
• Phase 2 Omnibus Report
• PPMA Feedback Report
• Manitoba Chapter, Canada Green Building Council Feedback Report

You can also find the notes from our Round Tables:

• Accessibility
• Environment
• North End
• West End

Throughout Phase 2, Winnipeggers showed strong support for reducing the amount of garbage we bury at the landfill.

In Phase 3 we will be sharing the recommendations for the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan that came out of Phase 2, which we will be submitting to Council.

The City only manages a small percentage of Winnipeg's non-residential waste. Here are some possible initiatives that the City can do to encourage and support non-residential diversion.

Non-residential waste:

• comes from the industrial, commercial and institutional (IC & I) and construction and demolition (C & D) sources
• is about 475,000 tonnes per year,
• is managed by private companies (collection and disposal)
• is disposed of at two privately-operated landfills close to Winnipeg (about 80%) and Brady Road Landfill (about 20%).

The City of Winnipeg does not have a mandate for non-residential waste, but can:

• encourage and support diversion,
• work with businesses and the Province to develop strategies and regulations to increase diversion.

Some initiatives for non-residential waste being considered by the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan include:

• Encourage the use of standards during construction or redevelopment that prevent and divert waste,
• Support a 'Green Park' at Brady Road Landfill for local industries that would remake the materials on site into reusable items for sale,
• Set up a depot at Brady Road Landfill for materials that can be reused or recycled. (e.g., wood, soil, drywall, shingles),
• Examine opportunities for expanding recycling and organics collection for businesses,
• Develop and issue a Green Procurement Guide,
• Work with stewardship organizations and the public school system to support diversion and education,
• Structure tipping fees at Brady Road Landfill to encourage diversion.

For more information, view the consultant's Summary – Draft Waste Management Options Report IC&I and C&D Diversion.

Throughout the SpeakUp on Garbage process, many Winnipeggers have asked about the possibility of a deposit system for containers. Manitoba currently uses a levy system.

Container recycling fees, deposits and other levies are enabled and set by the Province.

A Deposit System:

• is a fee charged on containers when they are purchased and refunded when the consumer returns the container to be recycled or reused (e.g., ten cent fee charged and refunded on beer containers).
• encourages individual responsibility
• has a high recovery rate for containers
• costs more to administer than a levy system

The levy system in Manitoba:

• is a two cent non-refundable Container Recycling Fee (CRF), that goes towards the cost of recycling the container
• is managed by the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association
• supports our residential blue box program
  • high-value material such as beverage containers (e.g., aluminum, #1-2 plastics) helps offset the recycling costs of lower-value material (e.g., mixed paper, #3-7 plastics)
• costs less to administer than a deposit system

The provinces of Alberta (ABCRC) and Saskatchewan (SARCAN) have both a CRF and deposit system for beverage containers.

Examples of CRF and Deposit Fees (2011)

	Alberta1		Saskatchewan2		Manitoba3
	CRF	Refundable Deposit	CRF	Refundable Deposit	CRF
Aluminum Cans	1¢	10¢	5¢	10-20¢	2¢ on all beverage containers
Plastic bottles	1-6¢	10-25¢	6¢	10-20¢
Glass bottles	7-12¢	10-25¢	7¢	10-40¢
Juice boxes / cartons	3-6¢	10-25¢	3¢	5¢

1. http://www.abcrc.com/container-information/
2. http://www.sarcsarcan.ca/sarcan/beverage/index.php
3. http://cbcra-acrcb.org/Faqs.php

The return rates for containers in with deposits and/or CRFs in 2009 were:

• Saskatchewan – 86%
• Alberta – 77%
• Manitoba – 35% (estimated)

In most provinces that have container deposit programs:

• the recovery rate of beverage containers is quite high,
• the ability to collect other materials in a curbside recycling program is limited without some sort of additional fee for service.

Other cities in western Canada that have a container deposit either charge a monthly or yearly fee for recycling collection or do not provide the service at all.

We are starting the process right now for a curbside organics program in Winnipeg, but it could take up to 5 years to implement. This is an overview what the program would take to implement and what it could look like.

How long would it take to put an organics collection and composting program in place?

• It could take up to 2-5 years for the program to start.
• It could take up to 10 years for the program to reach its full potential.

Why would it take so long?

• A new facility would need to be built to compost the material:
  • at least 41,000 tonnes of organics from the kitchen waste organics program,
  • at least 25,000 tonnes from the yard waste program.
• From design to start-up, it typically takes about 18 - 24 months to build a composting facility.

How is this program different from the curbside yard waste collection program?

• This program is designed only for kitchen organic waste (e.g., fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds). The material would be collected in a separate container from yard waste.

What would an organics collection and composting program look like for single-family homes?

• Weekly collection of a green cart (between 60 and 240 litres, depending on the size selected for the program).

How much would the program cost?

• About $30 - $40 per house per year

Would the program be offered to apartments and condos?

• Once the program is operating for single-family homes, we will offer the program to property managers of multi-family homes.

What are the benefits of an organics collection and composting program?

• Keep 41,000 tonnes of organic material out of the landfill each year.
• Reduce our greenhouse gas by 28,000 tonnes a year.
• Reduce the long-term cost for managing pollution at the landfill.
• Significantly increase the lifespan of Brady Landfill.
• Provide a valuable end-product which could be sold, given away or used in parks and sports fields.

What is a community depot?

A community depot:

• is a place where residents can drop off material that can be recycled or reused instead of putting it in the garbage,
• has the potential to reduce the amount of garbage with throw out by 3%,
• is larger than the existing recycling and yard waste depots,
• captures toxic materials which are harmful to our environment,
• separates materials into piles that can either be reused (e.g., furniture, bicycles) or recycled (e.g., wood waste, shingles, metal),
• would be set up in various locations, starting with Brady Road Landfill.

What kinds of materials would be accepted at the community depot?

Examples include:

• electronic waste (e.g., computers, televisions, phones)
• household hazardous waste (e.g., paint, oil, florescent light bulbs)
• yard waste (e.g., grass, leaves, tree trimmings)
• construction materials (e.g., shingles, drywall, lumber, concrete)
• bulky waste (e.g., appliances, furniture, mattresses)

Do other cities have community depots?

Yes, such as Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Dundas, Kenora, Vancouver, and Victoria.

How much does a community depot cost?

Each community depot would cost:

• $1-2 million to build
• $500,000 to operate each year

Do you think community depots are right for Winnipeg?

What is the goal of the City's recycling program?

The goal is to sell the material at the highest net cost for the best available end use. The cost of recycling is offset by the material we sell.

How is the recycling program funded?

The net cost of the residential recycling (the cost of collecting and processing minus the amount received from the sale of the material) program is funded 80% through Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba, an industry stewardship organization .

What does the City's recycling program collect?

Residents can recycle:

• plastic containers with a recycling triangle on the bottom, including all bottles, pails, tubs, and jugs
• cardboard (e.g., cereal, cracker, tissue, laundry detergent, shoe, or packing boxes, egg cartons and paper tubes)
• aluminum drink cans
• steel (tin) food cans
• milk and juice cartons
• juice boxes
• glass jars and bottles (clear and coloured)
• newspapers and inserts, flyers, junk mail
• magazines, household paper, envelopes, shredded paper

Why doesn't the City collect and recycle everything?

Recycling programs across North America, including Winnipeg, all collect a core group of materials such as paper and aluminum. Depending on the location to a market, some cities also collect additional products. Before we can add a new product to the list of items that can be recycled, we determine if:

• there is a market,
• the market can accept the volume of material, and
• it makes environmental and financial sense to recycle that item.

For example, foam products are not accepted in the program because there are no markets close enough to accept the volume we would produce.

Where does our recycling go?

Like cities across North America, we ship most of the material to businesses around the world, from Selkirk to Western Canada to the United States and to Asia. There aren't enough local markets for all our material.

What does the future look like for recycling in Winnipeg?

• What kind of materials should the City of Winnipeg recycling program collect?
• Should the City of Winnipeg and Province of Manitoba work together towards creating local markets? If yes, how could we do it?

Where does our garbage come from?

1. Residential (single-family homes, apartment buildings and condos)
   • about 230,000 tonnes collected and delivered to Brady Landfill
2. Non-residential (e.g., construction and demolition industry, schools, office buildings)
   • 140,000 tonnes delivered to Brady Landfill
   • at least 230,000 tonnes from other sources disposed of in regional landfills close to Winnipeg (e.g., St. Andrews)
3. City of Winnipeg corporation (e.g., wastewater treatment by-products, waste from office buildings, arenas and community clubs)
   • 35,000 tonnes delivered to Brady Landfill

Why don't we know exactly how much garbage is produced by non-residential sources?

The City of Winnipeg:

• is not responsible for collecting or disposing of non-residential garbage,
• does not have access to the amount of waste hauled by private companies.

What will the future hold for garbage collection and disposal services?

• How can we learn more about waste from non-residential sources?
• What can we do to help reduce the volume of non-residential garbage?
• Are there any other sources of garbage not listed that we need to examine?

Residential Garbage

How much does it cost to collect and dispose of residential garbage?

• The average cost in 2009 was $61 per household or $17.4 million per year.

How do we pay for garbage service?

• You pay for it on your property taxes, which is about 4.5% of your tax bill.

Residential Recycling

How much does the recycling program cost?

• The total cost of the recycling program was $9.8 million in 2009.
• The net cost of the program after grants and the sale of recyclable material was $3.7 million - approximately $13 per household.

How do you pay for the cost of the recycling program?

We pay for the program through the Solid Waste Utility, which receives revenue from:

• the sale of recyclables,
• Manitoba Product Stewardship Corporation which provided $5.1 million in support in 2009. MPSC is a provincial government agency that funded 80% of the net cost of residential recycling in Manitoba, and
• disposal charges at the Brady Road Landfill

How much revenue is made from selling the recyclable material?

The revenue fluctuates from year-to-year based on the demand for each of the materials. Over the past five years, the price per tonne of the total basket of recyclables has ranged from a low of $49.83 to a high of $107.63.

What does garbage and recycling cost the City?

Garbage Collection

• $75 per tonne in 2009 – one of the lowest among Canadian cities
• includes garbage from all residential and a small number of commercial properties

Garbage Disposal

• $15.13 per tonne in 2009 – one of the lowest among Canadian cities
• includes the maintenance and environmental monitoring of the 34 closed landfills
• comes from residential, commercial, industrial, and other municipalities that use the Brady Road Landfill

Recycling and Diversion

• $75 per tonne in 2009 – one of the lowest among major Canadian cities
• includes the curbside blue box collection program, Leaf-it depots, Chip-It depots, a backyard composing program, and 7 recycling depots

What does this mean for the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan?

As we move towards creating a master plan for garbage, recycling and composting services in our city, we need to ask:

• How much should we pay for these services?
• How should we pay for these services?

Phase 1 started the conversation about the future of garbage and recycling services in Winnipeg. Wewant to understand what is important to you. We talked about vision and goals, and really set the stage for the rest of the process. We launched Phase 1 with our SpeakUp on Garbage Expo on November 13, 2010. Some milestones we achieved were:

• launched our website,
• engaged our consultant,
• conducted surveys to gather feedback, and
• met with our Stakeholder Advisory Committee to ensure we were on the right track.

You can download these reports here:

• Phase 1 Public Participation Report (pdf)
• Phase 1 Phone Survey Report (pdf)
• Phase 1 Web-link Survey Report (pdf)

Winnipeggers are passionate about garbage and have expressed a keen desire:

1. For more public education and awareness, and to get more people participating in our programs.
2. For composting – curbside, backyard, vermi-composting, and community depots.
3. For more ways to recycle, and for information on the end use of the materials and the best use for the materials.
4. For more reuse opportunities – through weekend giveaways, trading left-over materials between businesses, and donations to charity.
5. For a well-functioning landfill that is a place to get valuable material and resources, a source of energy, and a place that protects public health and the environment.

With all this public input and research, we have developed the Vision and Guiding Principles for the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan. This phase has been the basis for developing the Phase 2 Options .

This video is unavailable

Darryl Drohomerski, Manager of Solid Waste Services with the City of Winnipeg shares two options for residential yard waste collection and composting: Biweekly pickup from April to November or 4 pickups a year (2 in the Spring and 2 in the Fall)

Video Transcript:

Hello I'm Darryl Drohomerski, Manager of Solid Waste Services with the City of Winnipeg.

Through Phase 1 of the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan, we heard that Winnipeggers wanted more options for composting yard waste.

From May until October, the amount of residential garbage going to Brady Landfill increases about 50%, and a lot of that comes from yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings, and tree trimmings.

Yard waste is a valuable resource when composted properly. But when it's thrown into our garbage, it contributes to our greenhouse gas emissions and produces a toxic liquid called leachate. It also shortens the life of our landfill and costs us millions of dollars to collect, dispose and treat. About 5,000 tonnes are composted each year through the City's existing programs.

We would like your feedback on two options that could keep even more yard waste out of the landfill.

In the first option, we would collect your yard waste from the curb every two weeks between April and November, and then compost it.

This program would cost about $3.5 million a year, and would collect another 20,000 tonnes of material, composting 4 times as much as we do now.

In the second option, we would collect your yard waste from the curb a total of four times -- twice in the spring and twice in the fall.

This option would cost an estimated $1.4 million per year and would compost another 5,000 tonnes.

Both options would also feature permanent community yard waste depots throughout the city.

Every tonne of yard waste we throw out is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 4 passenger cars. Curbside yard waste pickup has the potential to remove emissions equivalent to 20,000 to 80,000 vehicles every year.

Collecting and composting our yard waste is an important step in reducing the amount of landfilled garbage by 50%.

Which option do you prefer -- biweekly collection during the growing season or two collections in the spring and two in the fall? Which option do you think is best for Winnipeg?

For more information or to give us your feedback on yard waste collection and the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan, visit us at SpeakUpWinnipeg.com.

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Randy Park, the supervisor of waste diversion at the City of Winnipeg shares shares two options for single family home recycling: blue automated carts or an additional blue box. Learn about these options and tell us which option do you prefer. Which option do you think is best for Winnipeg?

Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Randy Park, the supervisor of waste diversion at the City of Winnipeg.

Through Phase 1 of the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan, we heard that Winnipeggers want to recycle more.

We currently recycle 47,000 tonnes of material a year. Over the next 5 years, we could increase that to 72,000 tonnes with improvements to our recycling program.

We have two options for single-family recycling that we'd like your feedback on.

One option is to provide a blue cart for every single-family home in the city. The carts:

• Hold 3 - 4 times as much as our current blue boxes
• Are easy to roll, and extremely durable
• Help to reduce litter
• Keeps the material dry which improves its value when sold.
• Are less likely to be blown away by the wind
• Provide a safer and more efficient work environment for collectors

At a cost of $40 - $50 per cart, it would cost about $9 million to provide each home with one cart.

Another option is to provide one additional blue box for every single-family home.

Although the blue box option is not expected to be as successful as the cart option in increasing the volume of material recycled, blue boxes:

• Are more flexible, so you can use as few or as many as you need to
• Need less storage space (if you use just one)
• Cost less to replace than carts

At a cost of $7 per blue box, it would cost about $1.2 million to provide each home with one blue box.

Increasing the amount Winnipeg recycles is an important step in reducing the amount of landfilled garbage by 50%.

So which option do you prefer – carts or blue boxes? Which option do you think is best for Winnipeg?

For more information or to give us your feedback on yard waste collection and the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan, visit us at SpeakUpWinnipeg.com.

We've updated our background information with our Guiding Principles and some Resources.

Guiding Principles

The guiding principles for the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan (GRMP) were established through the Phase 1 participation process and input from the Stakeholder Advisory Committee. These principles help to shape the goals and objectives of GRMP, and will also help to guide potential options for garbage, recycling and organic services in Winnipeg. They are:

• Sustainability
• Waste Hierarchy
• Zero Waste

Read more about the Guiding Principles here.

Resources

The resources we've posted include previous reports and strategies for the City's waste and recycling programs.

• Landfill Siting Study (1985)
• Multi-Material Recycling Depots (1992)
• City of Winnipeg Recycling Program (1995)
• Waste Minimization Strategy (1996)
• Waste Minimization Strategy (2001)

This video is unavailable

Randy Park, the supervisor of waste diversion at the City of Winnipeg shares information about our residential garbage collection and why we are recommending automated collection using carts.

Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Randy Park, the supervisor of waste diversion at the City of Winnipeg. I'm here to talk about our residential garbage collection.

Through Phase 1 of the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan, we heard that Winnipeggers want a garbage service that is fair and uniform.

We also heard that Winnipeggers want more convenient options for keeping materials out of the landfill and a garbage service to support those options.

The amount of garbage we currently throw out is not environmentally, economically or socially sustainable.

A household in Winnipeg throws out an average of 800 kg of garbage annually. The long-term cost of disposing and monitoring of all this garbage continues to increase every year.

Most of what we throw into our garbage can be reused, recycled or recovered.

There are currently three ways that we collect garbage from single-family homes in Winnipeg -- AutoBin collection, manual collection and automated collection using carts. Having multiple collection methods is unsustainable, outdated and becoming expensive. Like other cities, we recommend a single collection system for all residents: automated collection using carts.

AutoBins are large communal garbage bins that are shared among 4 -- 6 homes. These shared bins face challenges of illegal dumping, vandalism and low diversion. Winnipeg is one of the last remaining major Canadian cities using AutoBins.

The challenges of manual collection include staffing recruitment and retention, higher number of workplace injuries, and increasing costs. Cities in North America are moving away from manual collection because of this.

We introduced our third method of collecting garbage, automated collection using carts, in northwest Winnipeg just over a year ago

A standard-sized cart holds 240 litres of garbage -- about 3 large garbage bags. Residents can upgrade to a larger size cart for an annual fee.

It would cost $7 million to provide carts to the remaining areas of the city. However, the collection cost would be less expensive than either manual or AutoBin collection.

Carts are becoming the industry standard for garbage collection in North America because they:

• Increase participation in recycling, composting and other diversion programs
• Reduce litter
• Reduce worker injuries
• Provide a secure method to store garbage
• Reduce illegal dumping and arson

For more information or to give us your feedback on garbage collection and the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan, visit us at SpeakUpWinnipeg.com.

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Increasing our diversion, providing a uniform level of service for garbage, recycling and organics throughout the city and supporting the licensing process for Brady Landfill are some of the main goals for the Garbage and Recycling Master Plan.

There are many short, mid and long-term options to raise our diversion. Getting to 50% can't happen overnight, but there are a lot of things we could do over the next few years that would get us most of the way there.

Program or goal (Preliminary concept)	within 5 years	within 10 years
Community recovery depots	x
Increased recycling services	x
Equivalent garbage collection service	x
Yard waste composting program	x
Organic waste program		x
Increased diversion – 35%-45%	x
Increased diversion – over 50%		x

What can we do?

We currently divert 17% of our residential waste. Within the next 5 years, we have the potential to increase that to at least 37%. In the next 5 to 20 years we can build on earlier successes and work towards increasing our diversion to more than 50%.

The following options are based on the Guiding Principles of the Plan developed in Phase 1 and follow the Waste Hierarchy of: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover and Residuals (disposal).

Reducing & Reusing

• Prevents material from entering the waste stream
• Targets durable goods that don't belong in the waste stream
• Diverts up to 10,000 tonnes per year (additional 3%)

Recycling

• Provides a blue recycling cart or a blue box to each single family home
• Diverts up to 72,000 tonnes per year (additional 7%)

Recovering

• Establish community depots to recover and reuse valuable items from the waste stream - diverts another 3% per depot
• Implement curbside yard waste collection - diverts another 1 - 6%
• Implement curbside organics collection - diverts another 12%

Residuals (garbage disposal)

• Implement a fair and uniform garbage service
• Recommend automated collection system
• Recommend phasing out AutoBins

Brady Landfill

All of these options would result in positive changes and impacts to Brady Landfill.

• less garbage buried requires less long term care of facility
• less toxic liquids to be captured and treated
• less greenhouse gas emissions
• extends lifespan of landfill

Where can I learn more?

For more information on these options:

• View the Open House material
• Keep visiting the SpeakUp blog where we'll be posting updates throughout Phase 2
• Download the Consultant's Options Report (PDF)

There will also be open houses and round tables in March where you'll have an opportunity to provide feedback and ask City staff questions. See the Events Calendar for more information.

Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Darryl Drohomerski, Manager of Solid Waste Services for the City of Winnipeg.

Last fall, Winnipeggers shared their vision for garbage and recycling services for Winnipeg.

There were several important themes the came out of this. Residents told us they wanted:

• More ways to divert our waste, especially organics,
• A uniform level of service for garbage, recycling and organics collection throughout the city, and
• Better services for recycling collection from single family homes.

Based on what we heard, we've developed some options for garbage, recycling and organic programs in Winnipeg that we need your feedback on.

These options will help us:

• Reduce the amount of garbage we produce,
• Increase the amount we recycle and compost, and
• Reduce the harmful effects of burying garbage in our landfill.

We invite you to learn about these options and to give us your feedback here on SpeakUpWinnipeg.com or at open houses and round tables in March.

Thanks again and let's continue the conversation.

We are developing a plan to present to City Council in fall 2011 outlining the future of garbage and recycling services in our city. It is important that we include your comments and recommendations.

We invite you to drop by to share your thoughts on:

• ways to improve garbage, recycling and composting services, and
• the future of Brady Road Landfill.

All open houses are from 5 pm - 8 pm (unless otherwise indicated).

Monday, March 14	Canad Inns Garden City	2100 McPhillips Street
Tuesday March 15	Dakota Collegiate	661 Dakota Street
Wednesday, March 16	Sturgeon Creek CC	210 Rita Street
Thursday, March 17	Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex	999 Sargent Avenue
Saturday, March 19
10:00 am – 1:00 pm	Park City West CC	115 Sandford Fleming Rd.
2:30 pm - 5:30 pm	Bronx Park CC	720 Henderson Highway
Monday, March 21	École Henri-Bergeron School	363 Enfield Crescent
Service provided in both official languages.
Tuesday, March 22	St John's Leisure Centre	601 Aikins Street
Wednesday, March 23	Crescentwood CC	1170 Corydon Avenue
Thursday, March 24	St Norbert CC	3450 Pembina Hwy
Wednesday, March 30	Millennium Library	251 Donald St
11:30am-1:30pm

Read more about options for garbage, recycling and organics.

Download the Open House Story Boards (French).

If you are unable to come to an Open House, you can give your feedback by commenting on blogs and videos, contacting us through the website or calling 311.

Check our Events Calendar regularly for upcoming opportunities to participate!

Download the advertisement:

• Open House
• Journées portes ourvertes

Les Winnipégois et les Winnipégoises sont invités à s'exprimer au sujet des déchets.

Nous sommes en train d'élaborer un plan que nous allons présenter au Conseil municipal à l'automne 2011, plan qui tracera les grandes lignes de l'avenir des services de collecte des déchets et de recyclage dans la ville. Il est important que nous y incluions vos observations et vos recommandations. Nous vous invitons donc à nous rendre visite afin de nous faire part de vos réflexions sur :

• les moyens d'améliorer les services de collecte des déchets, de recyclage et de compostage;
• l'avenir de la décharge du chemin Brady.

Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez notre site Web à garbage.speakupwinnipeg.com ou composez le 311.

Toutes les journées portes ouvertes ont lieu de 17 à 20 heures (à moins d'indication contraire).

le lundi 14 mars	Canad Inns Garden City	2100, rue McPhillips
le mardi 15 mars	Dakota Collegiate	661, rue Dakota
le mercredi 16 mars	Centre communautaire Sturgeon Creek	210, rue Rita
le jeudi 17 mars	Complexe récréatif Cindy-Klassen	999, avenue Sargent
le samedi 19 mars
de 10 à 13 heures	Centre communautaire Park City West	115, ch. Sanford Fleming
de 14 h 30 à 17 h 30	Club communautaire du parc Bronx	720, chemin Henderson
le lundi 21 mars	École Henri-Bergeron	363, croissant Enfield
Les services sont offerts dans les deux langues officielles.
le mardi 22 mars	Centre de loisirs St. John's	601, rue Aikins
le mercredi 23 mars	Centre communautaire Crescentwood	1170, avenue Corydon
le jeudi 24 mars	Centre communautaire de Saint-Norbert	3450, chemin Pembina
le mercredi 30 mars	Bibliothèque du millénaire	251, rue Donald
de 11 h 30 à 13 h 30

Téléchargez :

• Scénarios-maquettes de la journée portes ouvertes
• Publicité pour la journée portes ouvertes

The City collects residential garbage from 278,000 homes in Winnipeg using five different collection methods. This is more than most major North American cities. There are benefits and challenges to each system. What method makes the most sense economically, environmentally and socially for Winnipeg? Tell us your thoughts on the way we collect garbage from your home and what you think the garbage collection system should look like.

Residential collection methods – single family homes

• Manual collection
• AutoBins
• Automated cart collection
• Bulky waste pickup

Residential collection methods – apartments and condos

• AutoBins and front-loading containers (a.k.a. dumpsters)
• Bulky waste pickup

Percentage of homes served by the different collection methods:

Manual collection

What is it?	Workers pick up garbage bags and containers by hand and load into the garbage truck.
Where is it?	108,000 homes east of the Red River and south of the Assiniboine River.
Garbage Limit?	None
Challenges?	Becoming outdated. A garbage collector picks up an average of 9,000 kg of garbage a day. The physical demands of this job result in an average career of 5 years. It is becoming increasingly difficult to staff as the waste-collection industry is moving towards more automated technologies. Unlimited amount of garbage allows for minimal diversion.

AutoBins

What is it?	These shared bins started appearing in 1992-1993 and are usually in back lanes. About six homes share one bin.
Where is it?	5,200 AutoBins serve 25,000 households and 700 commercial properties in several parts of the city including Wolseley, parts of the West End and in West and Old Kildonan. About 1,000 homes use a smaller roll-out cart. These 450 litre carts service individual homes and function like large wheelbarrows. These are used in areas where trucks cannot access back lanes to service regular-sized AutoBins.
Garbage Limit?	None AutoBins hold 2,300 litres of garbage or about 380 litres per home. They are emptied on an as-required basis.
Challenges?	We are one of the last remaining Canadian cities to use AutoBins. This method is becoming outdated. Other communities in North America are moving away from this type of collection due to the high replacement cost for bins and vehicles. Easy targets for illegal dumping and arson. Typically have lower rates of recycling participation. Does not promote diversion.

Carts - Automated

What is it?	Rollout carts were first used in early 2010. The collection truck uses a mechanical arm to empty the cart.
Where is it?	43,000 homes in the northwest area of the city
Garbage Limit?	These carts hold 240 litres of garbage. Residents can upgrade to a 360 litre bin for an annual fee.
Benefits?	Requires less collectors per truck and is becoming the industry standard for collection methods. Consistent look to neighbourhoods Less windblown litter because the containers have lids. Since they were introduced in Winnipeg, the amount of garbage generated per household with an automated cart is 20% lower than homes serviced by manual collection. Recycling in this area has also increased although the exact amount is not known at this time
Challenges?	Does not allow for occasions when customers have extra garbage (e.g., after holidays).

Multi-Family collection

What is it?	Front loading bins and AutoBins serve multi-family residences such as apartments and condos.
Where is it?	103,000 multi-family households throughout the city.
Garbage Limit?	None Front loading bins hold up to 6,500 litres of garbage and are emptied up to twice per week depending on apartment size and bin size and number of bins at a location.
Challenges?	Similar to those of AutoBins.

Bulky waste pickup

What is it?	A special pickup of large and bulky items (e.g., mattresses, furniture, appliances). These items are not picked up with regular garbage collection. Residents must call 311 to arrange for a pickup. A fee applies to all except those living in neighbourhoods vulnerable to arson and abandoned waste. For more information, visit the Special Garbage Collection Services Page.
Where is it?	Available to all residents
Benefits?	Includes the professional disposal of ozone-depleting substances in fridges and freezers.
Challenges?	Bulky items that are abandoned are targets for arson and a risk to public health.

Garbage generated by collection method

The chart below shows the average kilograms of garbage generated for each collection method by household.

The refuse collection day cycles map (PDF - 3.2MB) shows the different collection methods and collection day areas in Winnipeg.

The City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba, private industry, and stewardship organizations partner to provide many garbage and recycling services, programs and policies. What more can we do to work together towards improving garbage and recycling services in Winnipeg?

What is the role of the City of Winnipeg?

The City of Winnipeg is responsible for:

• collecting recycling material from depot, blue boxes and apartment recycling containers,
• collecting and composting seasonal yard waste (e.g., curbside yard waste collection in the northwest area, fall leaf depots, Christmas tree depots),
• collecting and disposing of garbage from homes and small businesses,
• managing residential and commercial waste at the City's only active landfill (Brady Road Landfill).

[caption id="attachment_719" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="The City of Winnipeg operates Brady Road Landfill."][/caption]

What is the role of the Province of Manitoba?

Create the laws, regulations and goals that outline and shape garbage and recycling for Manitoba. For example:

• regulating landfills to ensure environmental health and public safety,
• setting a goal of recycling 75% of all beverage containers in Manitoba,
• passing legislation (Extended Producer Responsibility) to enable industries and producers to have greater responsibility for the lifecycle of the goods they produce,
• offering programs to collect and recycle household hazardous waste and electronic waste through contracts with private recyclers (visit Green Manitoba for more information).

What is the role of stewardship organizations?

Stewardship organizations are industry-led non-profit groups that manage and fund programs that recycle and divert the products they sell. Some of these steward groups include:

• Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba - packaging and printed paper
• Tire Stewardship Manitoba -tires
• Manitoba Association for Resource Recovery Corp - used motor oil, filters and containers

For example, eighty percent of the net cost [1] of blue box recycling in Winnipeg is supported by Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba ($5.02 million in 2009). Because of this, the cost of recycling to 268,650 homes in Winnipeg was approximately $2,000,000 in 2009.

[caption id="attachment_724" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Used tires collected at Brady Landfill for diversion."][/caption]

What role does private industry play in our community?

Private industry offers many garbage, recycling and reuse services, such as:

• collecting almost all institutional, commercial and industrial waste,
• providing material processing and disposal options to handle the waste generated by these institutional, commercial and industrial businesses,
• operating two landfills and several recycling material recovery facilities,
• recycling collection services for businesses and institutions,
• curbside organics collection and composting,
• operating processing facilities for the diversion of material (e.g., concrete, shingles, metal, tires, plastics, wood).

Together

Individuals and businesses, along with the City, Province and stewardship organizations all share the responsibility for the goods that we purchase, throw away and recycle.

What more can we do to work together towards improving garbage and recycling services in Winnipeg?

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[1] The cost of the recycling program after recyclables have been sold

"Winnipeg diverts 17% of its residential waste" is a phrase that has come up often during this project. What does this mean?

According to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities[1]:

Waste diversion directs garbage away from landfills or incinerators through, reuse, recycling, composting or gas production through anaerobic digestion. Waste diversion is a key component of effective and sustainable waste management.

Waste management is the process of collecting, processing and disposing of waste.

City of Winnipeg diversion programs

• Blue box recycling
• Leaf it with us
• Chip it

Brady Road Landfill diversion programs

• More than 500 tonnes of metal recycled each year
• More than 5,000 tonnes of glass diverted and used for road base
• More than 2,000 tonnes of wood waste diverted and turned into flooring and other products
• Bicycle recycling – over 4,000 removed and refurbished
• Recycling of sand from street sweepings (potential to reuse up to 40,000 tonnes per year)

Winnipeg has a highly successful blue box recycling program, but for residential material only. The Garbage and Recycling Master Plan will need to address waste from other customer groups (i.e., institutional, commercial, industrial, construction and demolition).

Winnipeg's diversion rate

• In 2009, our diversion rate was 17 % – 293,000 tonnes of residential waste[2] went to the landfill and 49,000 tonnes were diverted.
• This is the lowest rate among major Canadian cities. The chart below shows how Winnipeg's diversion rate compares to other cities.

[caption id="attachment_769" align="alignnone" width="300"] Approximate waste diversion rate comparison of major Canadian cities. Edmonton: 60%; Halifax 57%; Metro Vancouver 55%; Toronto 67%; Winnipeg 17%[/caption]

Waste diversion in other cities is higher because they have programs to divert organics (kitchen and yard waste).

What's in our garbage?

All residential waste in Winnipeg can be divided into four main types.

• 28% food waste
• 24% yard waste
• 15% recycling
• 33% other waste

How much did we divert in 2009?

 

• 45,000 tonnes from the residential blue box program
• 2,200 tonnes of yard waste from City programs

The future of garbage and recycling in our city

• How can we divert more?
• What kind of opportunities do you see for increasing our waste diversion in Winnipeg?
• What percentage should we target for waste diversion?

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[1] Federation of Canadian Municipalities (2009). Getting to 50% and Beyond: Waste Diversion Success Stories from Canadian Municipalities. P. 1.

[2] ~230,000 tonnes disposed through home collection and ~64,000 tonnes from small loads disposed at Brady Landfill

During the SpeakUp on Garbage Expo, we shared our thoughts on 16 different topics.

• Recycling
• Yard waste
• Composting
• Garbage collection (includes carts, autobin, manual).
• Brady Road Landfill (includes waste to energy)
• Construction and demolition waste
• Non-residential waste (commercial)
• Apartment and condo waste
• Biosolids management
• Reduce and reuse
• Public health and safety
• Electronic waste
• Hazardous materials
• Bulky waste
• Local job / market creation
• Program education / public awareness

You can read more about the topics and what everyone said here, but join the conversation by commenting below.

At the SpeakUp on Garbage Expo, a panel of experts from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Minnesota spoke on different perspectives of waste management and the effect it has on our lives.

Visit our Expo page to view all of the videos and transcripts from the day.

Is there anything we can learn from these speakers about how Winnipeg could be managing its garbage?

Comment below to let us know!

At the SpeakUp on Garbage Expo, we asked:

What is your vision for the future of garbage and recycling services in Winnipeg?

Read the visions that were shared with us that day and comment below to share your vision with us!

Randy Park, Supervisor or Waste Diversion with the City of Winnipeg takes us on a tour of the Materials Recovery Facility to show what happens to the recyclables that go into your Blue Box. Approximately 90% of all material going to Brady landfill can actually be recycled. Can we do more to save money and save the environment?

Transcript:

Hello, I'm Randy Park, Supervisor or Waste Diversion with the City of Winnipeg.

I'm here at the Materials Recovery Facility —MRF for short— to show you what happens to the recyclables that go into your Blue Box.

This facility processes all the recyclables collected from homes, apartments, and recycling depots. The material is separated, baled and shipped to manufacturers who turn them into valuable new products.

Over 45,000 tonnes of material are collected every year from 270,000 homes. That's an average of 170 kg of recyclables per household each year.

Of the materials that come into the MRF, approximately 65% are paper products and the remaining 35% are food and beverage containers.

After the material from your Blue Box arrives at MRF, the paper materials are separated from the beverage containers by star screens, a series of shafts fitted with rotating cams shaped like stars.

The soft paper is propelled forward, while the more rigid beverage containers fall through the openings between the shafts.

Over 90 per cent of the paper is removed mechanically by the star screens, with the remainder, along with any contaminants, removed by people on a sorting line.

The beverage containers that have fallen through the star screens continue through the equipment to the beverage container sort line.

Before being manually sorted, the containers pass under a magnet to remove ferrous metals, and through a glass breaker screen to remove glass.

Then an eddy current system removes aluminum cans.

Finally, what's remaining is a low grade mixed plastic material.

The individual materials are then baled and placed in the shipping area where they will be sold and sent to manufacturing plants all over the world.

Winnipeg residents are recycling more than ever. Over the past decade, we've nearly doubled our recycling from 23,000 tonnes to 45,000 tonnes each year.

Almost half of a million tonnes of material have been diverted from the City's landfill since 1995. This may seem a lot, but it is just a small percentage of what we could be recycling.

For every aluminum can we recycle, 4 go to the landfill. That's more than 1 million dollars worth of aluminum that we're throwing into our garbage every year.

Approximately 90% of all material going to Brady landfill can actually be recycled.

Can we do more to save money and save the environment?

Randy Park, Supervisor of Waste Diversion with the City of Winnipeg takes us on a tour of Brady Road Landfill. Over 400,000 tonnes of garbage is sent to Brady Road Landfill every year. Do we really need to continue throwing this much away?

Video Transcript:

Hello, I'm Randy Park with the City of Winnipeg Water & Waste Department.

I'm here at the Brady Road Landfill to show you what goes on here every day.

Opened in 1973, this is the City's only active landfill. Just south of the city, the area available for landfilling is nearly 790 hectares. This is larger than the neighbourhood of River Heights.

Every day, an average of 155 garbage trucks go through the gates at Brady, dropping off over 1000 tonnes of waste. Over 105,000 small loads are also dropped off every year. Altogether, this equals more than 400,000 tonnes a year of garbage.

A by-product of all this garbage is methane gas. More than 14,000 tonnes of this greenhouse gas is given off every year by the landfill and this is equivalent to annual emissions from approximately 70,000 passenger vehicles.

Another by-product of the landfill is leachate. Leachate is a harmful liquid produced by moisture filtering down through garbage. Six tanker trucks full of leachate are collected every day and treated at our wastewater treatment plant.

Almost one half of our garbage is organic waste. Every year, we throw out approximately 140,000 tonnes of organic waste. Only a small portion of this is currently composted.

Some of this garbage is recycled.

Scrap metal and tires are collected at Brady and recycled.

A methane gas capture and destruction system is planned for 2011.

What else can we do?

Do we really need to continue throwing this much away?

How do we reduce the volume of garbage going to the landfill?

What do you think we should do?

• Implementing automated garbage cart collection in the northwest area resulted in City Council requesting we prepare full garbage and recycling plan before recommending any more program changes
• After doing research, including discussions with garbage collection professionals, we determined that garbage carts are the best modern means of garbage collection and the industry trend. We wrote up a contract, and garbage carts were introduced to the northwest area of the city. This caused a lot of excitement and a lot of interest! How, when, and where our garbage was collected became a big topic of conversation!
• Garbage and recycling collection contracts expire over the next few years
• there are nine contracts for garbage and recycling collection with varying expiry dates, contracted out to several service providers
• Continues a Call to Action with SpeakUp Winnipeg
• Our existing Master Plan was last reviewed in 2001.

What is the goal of the master plan?

• Provide a fair and equal level of service to all residential customers
• Plan a waste diversion and handling system that will accommodate estimated growth in population
• Help residents and businesses reduce and divert waste
• Implement high diversion programs that are officially endorsed and funded
• Update the Brady Road Landfill master plan and obtain the required environmental licence

Where do we stand now?

• Winnipeg diverts only 17% of its residential waste, which is much lower than other Canadian cities.
• There is a mix of five different residential collection methods, providing different garbage service in different areas of the city.
• Garbage collection, processing and disposal cost taxpayers more than recycling.

What to you think?

• What is your vision for the future of garbage and recycling services in our city?
• What are your goals?
• Why do you think we should have a Garbage and Recycling Master Plan?

[Update Nov 26, 2010: The results from the Expo are now online.]

We had a brilliant day at the Speak Up on Garbage Expo! Participants shared their vision for the future of garbage and recycling services in Winnipeg at the launch of the six-month public participation process. You can take part by sharing your thoughts and ideas here at speakupwinnipeg.com.

Vision Question

In 70 to 85 words, what is your vision for the future of garbage and recycling services in Winnipeg?

Round Table Discussions In the round table discussions, participants are invited to share their thoughts on three questions and 16 different topics.

The questions should consider the three dimensions of sustainability:

1. Environmental
2. Social
3. Financial

The 16 topics are:

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Recycling

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in Recycling. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current recycling program and what the future of recycling should look like.

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Yard waste

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in yard waste diversion. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current yard waste program (leaf, grass and tree trimmings) and what the program should look like in the future. A large amount of yard waste is landfilled each year and contributes to greenhouse gasses through decomposition.

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Composting

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in composting. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Organic material (both kitchen waste and yard waste) is almost one half of our garbage. Every year, we throw out approximately 140,000 tonnes of organic waste, which contributes to greenhouse gasses through decomposition. Only a small portion of this is currently composted. What should the future look like for these materials?

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Garbage collection

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in garbage collection and handling. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current garbage collection program and what the future should look like. The industry trend is that manual collection is not sustainable in the long term.

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Brady Landfill

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in managing landfills, specifically Brady Landfill. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current operation at Brady Landfill – types of waste and where it comes from. What should our only active landfill look like in the future?

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Construction/Demolition

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in diverting construction and demolition material from landfills. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

What should we do with the leftover material from constructing or demolishing buildings and structures? Currently there is very little diversion of this material. If done properly, these materials can be reused with very little effort.

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Non-residential waste (commercial)

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in managing and diverting non-residential waste. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current situation with commercial, industrial and institutional sector waste. There is very little incentive right now for businesses to recycle.

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Apartment/condo waste

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in managing and diverting waste from apartments and condos. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current situation with apartment/condo waste – the City collects garbage from almost all apartment and condo buildings and recycling from most.

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Biosolids management

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in managing Biosolids. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Discuss the current Biosolids program. This by-product of wastewater treatment has been applied to agricultural fields, composted or landfilled. It represents the largest component of "city" waste and is a high value product if treated correctly.

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Reduce and reuse

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in getting its citizens to reduce and reuse the material they consume. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Reducing waste is the single most effective way to lessen your impact on the environment. Reusing material instead of discarding to the landfill can help extend the life of the landfill.

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Public health and safety

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in protecting public health and safety. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Garbage collection is primarily about protecting public health. How frequently do we need to collect garbage to protect public health? How should we deal with abandoned garbage, vandalism, odour or bedbugs?

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Electronic waste

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in diverting electronic waste from landfills. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Computer equipment and electronics can contain heavy metals (e.g., lead, mercury, cadmium) and are not picked up with regular garbage collection.

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Hazardous materials

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in diverting household hazardous waste from landfills. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Household hazardous waste is any product discarded from a home that contains volatile chemicals. Improper disposal of leftover hazardous waste products can harm the environment, harm human health, and damage the City's sewer system.

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Bulky waste

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in managing and handling bulky waste. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

These are large household items, such as mattresses, furniture, and appliances. Some parts of Winnipeg pay for this service while other areas do not. We collect about 25,000 items each year. Many cities do not collect these items at all.

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Local job/market creation

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in creating local markets for diverted products. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

Many of the items collected through the recycling program are shipped outside of Manitoba for processing.

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Program education/public awareness

1. It is 2020 and Winnipeg is considered a leader in engaging and informing its residents. What does that look like to you?
2. Now, back to the present. What do we need to do to get to that leadership position?
3. Do you know of other cities that have implemented this successfully? What can we learn from them to help us get to where we want to be?

One of the main reasons why people don't participate fully or accurately is because they are unaware of the program and the requirements.

Darryl Drohomerski, Manager of Solid Waste Services with the City of Winnipeg introduces the process for developing Winnipeg's new Garbage Master Plan.

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Video Transcript

Hello, I'm Darryl Drohomerski, Manager of Solid Waste Services with the City of Winnipeg.

I am here to talk about something we all do every day – throw out garbage.

We throw out more than 400,000 tonnes of garbage a year into Brady Landfill. Did you know that we can divert about 90% of this waste by recycling and composting?

Currently, Winnipeg only diverts 17% of our residential waste from the landfill. We need a long-term plan to increase that percentage much higher —not just for residential, but for businesses and institutions too.

Through SpeakUpWinnipeg, we want to have a conversation with Winnipeggers about all aspects of garbage, recycling and composting for our city. Some of the biggest questions we need to work together to answer are:

• How can we increase our waste diversion to 50% and higher?
• What should the future of the Brady Road Landfill look like? and
• How can we provide fair and equitable service across the entire city?

Please join us as we work towards the vision of a sustainable Winnipeg through our garbage service.