Winnipeg compost program plan moves forward but homeowners won't be charged initial startup fees

A proposal to charge Winnipeg homeowners an $8 annual fee for a compost program years before it was set to start was scrapped by the water and waste committee on Friday.

The plan to launch a citywide composting program in Winnipeg is moving forward, but with some changes.

The committee unanimously approved creating a residential food waste program at its meeting on Friday. 

Committee chair Brian Mayes raised concern about an initial proposal to charge homeowners an $8 fee starting next year, even though the full program is not expected to start until 2030. 

The public service said they need to charge the fee now to pay for green carts and other upfront costs, but in the end, the committee voted to cut the fee out.

Councillors on the committee also raised concerns about where the plant would be located, and who would operate it. 

An amendment added to the motion removed the section about the $8 fee, and replaced it with a plan to do a market study, identify interim service enhancements, and examine collection frequency, service variations, and funding approaches for collection and processing contracts.

Winnipeg compost program plan moves forward

1 year ago

Duration 1:30

A proposal to charge Winnipeg homeowners an $8 annual fee for a compost program years before it was set to start was scrapped by the water and waste committee on Friday. The plan to launch a city-wide composting program in Winnipeg is moving forward, but with some changes.

Mayes said it was more important to move the project forward.

"Let's, for the love of God, get these decisions made before we debate the garbage and recycle contracts, which are to expire in [2025]," he said.

When the program starts, it's expected to come with a $96 annual fee per household. The committee also asked the public service to look for ways of bringing that down.

Gord Delbridge, the head of CUPE Local 500, also raised concerns about a proposal to hire a private company to build and operate the processing facility.

"Are we going to look at building the facility and maybe lease to a private company?" Delbridge said during delegations.

"If you're going to lease to a private company, the building that you're going to build at Brady, what happens when that contract expires?"

Councillors changed the recommendation to look at a range of options for building and operating the compost plant, including potentially having the city own the facility and lease it to a private operator.

They'll also consult with CUPE about any impacts the program could have on the union's members.

The plan now moves forward to executive policy committee, and then on to council.

If passed, a report on the market study and potential opportunities to start the program earlier will come next June.