Winnipeg report recommends city-wide composting program after successful pilot

A report released by Winnipeg’s Public Service recommends that a green cart composting program be approved for the city.

A three-year pilot program testing the project was such a positive experience that 66 per cent of participants said they’d be willing to tack on an extra $8 a month to their waste diversion fee to keep it running.

The results of a Winnipeg-wide survey dipped slightly, with 60 per responding positively.

The $8 monthly fee would be put in place once the program was fully implemented in 2030, but prior to that, the report calls for an $8 annual  increase beginning July 1 of next year, to start getting infrastructure — green cards, kitchen compost bins, etc. — in place.

If approved, the program would set up single-family homes with a 120-litre green cart and seven-litre kitchen pail to get rid of food waste. Curbside collection would occur weekly, on the same day as garbage and recycling pickup.

Although it’s a new initiative for Winnipeg, similar green cart programs are common across Canada.

Many Canadian cities, like Montreal, Toronto and Regina already have composting programs, with some going back decades — the program in Halifax began in 1998.,

Here in Manitoba, communities like Brandon, Morden, Winkler, and Altona have existing composting programs as well.

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