City council approves automated garbage bins

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This article was published 07/10/2009 (5883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – City council has approved a plan to replace garbage cans with rolling, automated bins in Winnipeg’s northwest quadrant.

Council voted 9-6 to award waste-management company BFI Canada a $13.3 million contract to use automated trucks to collect garbage from rolling bins at 42,500 households north of the Assiniboine River and west of the Red River, beginning in February.

The plan divided council because it was only made public on Sept. 23, leading opposition councillors to complain of a short lead time.

At the Sept. 30 council meeting, the opposition used procedure to prevent the garbage motion from being heard on short notice.

That led to today’s special meeting, which saw River Heights Coun. John Orlikow attempt to amend the BFI Canada contract to a conventional garbage can-pickup program.

Orlikow and other opposition councillors argued the city needs a comprehensive garbage, recycling and compost plan before it moves to new bins for garbage only.

But Mayor Sam Katz and the majority of council did not agree.

Katz said it is inevitable Winnipeg will embrace a garbage-pickup plan in place in most North American cities.