Green Action Centre trashes Winnipeg motion to halt curbside composting

A bid from two Winnipeg city councillors to put the brakes on a curbside organic waste collectionprogram was put off until next month, while a Manitobaenvironmental group says the city should quit stalling on the issue.

Councilwassupposed todebate a motion on Wednesdayfrom councillors Ross Eadie and Russ Wyatt, but council decidedto put the matteroff until next month.

Recently, cityadministration introduced a plan that would see the city pick up compostableitems from table scraps to pet waste at a cost of anywhere from $55 to $100 annually.

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The Eadie-Wyatt motion asked city administration to immediately cancel the implementation plan and cancel any public consultationsuntil a comprehensive review of recycling and garbage is done.

After the meeting, Eadie said while all councillors want to see organics diverted from garbage, there has been no public discussion on how much the program will cost.

"The only thing they're really consulting on is, 'Do we collect vegetables? Do we vegetables, meats, dairy products? Or do we collect vegetables, meats, dairy products and poop?' So those are the options," he said.

"That's the consultation. The consultation isn't about how should we pay for it."

Green Action Centre calls fororganics program

The Green Action Centre said most major cities in Canada have organic waste pickup.Calgary is bringing forward a program in 2017,and if Winnipeg doesn't move soon, it will be one of the few large cities not doing its part, the environmental lobby group said.

In a writeup on its website, the centre says while it agrees with some of the motion's recommendations, including developing commercial waste programs and encouraging backyard composting, that should not be at the expense of a citywide program.

The centre said organic material represents 40 per cent of residential waste, and without a curbside collection program, the city will not reach its diversion goals.

One of the biggest issues for many councillors is the flat-rate fee for the program.

The centre agrees the flat-rate fee may not be the way to go and suggests the city revisit a pay-as-you-throw user fee to help pay for the program.