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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multiple collection methods is unsustainable, outdated and becoming expensive.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.