Residential Food Waste Collection Pilot Project

In 2019, Council directed the Public Service to conduct a pilot project, to test how a city-wide program could work. The data and feedback received from the pilot project will inform decisions for implementing a city-wide program.

Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. Too much trapped heat leads to changes in average temperatures and precipitation, which causes melting arctic and glacial ice, rising water levels, changes to plants and animals and extreme, unpredictable weather conditions.

The City of Winnipeg is committed to reducing greenhouse gases and creating a sustainable environment for our residents. You can learn more about our efforts by visiting winnipeg.ca/climateaction.

After the pilot project is complete in fall 2022, the Public Service will assess the pilot and provide a report to Council. Council will then make a decision on whether to move forward with a city-wide residential food waste collection program.

The cost of the pilot project is estimated at $1.8 million and it will be funded from the Waste Diversion Reserve.

There is no cost to homeowners selected to participate in the pilot project.

Participation in the pilot project is voluntary; however, we do encourage you to participate. It is important to develop a program suitable for all Winnipeggers and we encourage pilot participants to provide their feedback through the public engagement opportunities. Understanding challenges with the pilot project will help to improve a city-wide collection program.

Pilot households will receive a letter in the mail notifying that they have been selected to participate in the pilot program in August 2020.

Participating residents will receive a curbside cart, a kitchen pail, and educational material delivered to their homes. Collection of residential food waste will take place on the same day as residents’ regular garbage and recycling collection.

A detailed analysis based on a set of criteria was conducted to assist with selecting five pilot areas. The criteria were developed to select five individual areas that, as a whole, are reflective of the city’s characteristics. This was done to understand what the performance of a city-wide collection program could look like.

Other influencing factors included selection of a neighbourhood for each day of the week on the collection schedule as well as from each quadrant of the city and one within the city centre.

All food waste collected will be composted at the Brady Road Resource Management Facility. The compost will be used in City flower beds and to landscape finished areas of the landfill.