City committee approves new trash plan

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This article was published 03/10/2011 (5111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – Council’s public works committee has voted in favour of Winnipeg’s new garbage master plan, which calls for a $50 annual user fee to cover the cost of automated carts and increased service.

The city’s $64-million garbage and recycling master plan calls for Winnipeg to roll out 185,000 recycling carts and 145,000 garbage carts citywide next year. The carts hold 240 litres, which is roughly three standard-sized garbage bags or four blue boxes.

There’s also a $4.17 monthly user fee that will be tacked onto residents’ water bills, which adds up to $50 a year. City officials say the fee will help offset the cost of additional services such as biweekly curbside yard-waste pickup between April and November.

The plan also calls for “resource-recovery centres” where construction materials can be dropped off in 2013 and a kitchen-waste-collection pilot project in 2014.

At a meeting this afternoon, several people expressed concern about the user fee and told the public works committee that residents in the inner-city may not be able to afford it.

City administration said they previously examined whether the separate fee could be included on property tax bills, but the province would have to amend the City of Winnipeg charter to do so.

Solid waste manager Darryl Drohomerski said user fees are the easiest, fastest and fairest way to cover and the cost of increased service and to boost the amount that Winnipeg diverts away from landfills.

Council’s public works committee voted unanimously in favour of the new garbage plan, and added an amendment that calls for a reserve fund to be set up to collect the user fees.

The plan still needs to be approved by council’s executive policy committee and council.