Waste reduction centre getting dumped by city: councillor

Plans to develop four waste reduction centres are behind schedule and over budget. Coun. Russ Wyatt says a two year delay in construction has seen costs soar.

"From the latest budget, from what I can gather, it appears the costs, depending on what numbers you look at, have gone up by anywhere from 25 to 30 per cent," he said. "The other concern here is instead of building them more immediately, they're going to spread out the program."

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Wyatt was chair of the Environment Advisory Committee in 2012 when the project was announced. Four Community Resource Recovery Centres were to be built in each quadrant of the city. The centres would take in recycled materials, household hazardous waste, electronic waste and construction materials to divert it all from landfills.The city budgeted for the construction in 2013 and 2014.  

Now renamed as 4R Depots, the first depot will open some time this summer at the Brady Landfill. Two other centres are slated for construction in 2016 and 2017. But Wyatt says all four should already be in operation. And he points to a report presented to the city's finance committee yesterday. He says looks like a fourth centre may not get built at all. 

"They hadn't identified any site for the western site. And they didn't even elaborate in terms of the funding," he said.

Wyatt says it is a priority for Winnipeggers to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills and city council needs to recognize that.

"I'm hoping the mayor and EPC revisit and ask the tough questions that need to be asked ask why the costs have surged, ask why the department is not building this sooner and get this project back on track,"he said.

Wyatt will present his concerns to the Public Works Committee on Monday.