Here's The Plan, Garbage Man

City council voted in favour of a garbage and recycling master plan Wednesday that strives to rid Winnipeg of its designation as one of the country's most wasteful cities, but one Point Douglas resident is skeptical about the plan's results.

Michelle Ross believes garbage pickup in her area isn't very efficient and she feels the pickups don't happen often enough. But the more pressing issue in her neighborhood, she said, is with the dumpsters in her back lane and the larger items people leave next to them.

"About 95 per cent of the time they are filled to over-capacity, so there's garbage bags and other things around the dumpster because it can't fit inside. And our back lane has been zoned as a fire area because of how many times the dumpsters have been lit on fire."

Coun. Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry) said the plan, which will see current bins replaced by automated carts, will reduce illegal dumping and keep back lanes tidier. Gerbasi said people will take individual responsibility for how much trash they throw out, and because the new carts will have lids, they will not encourage illegal dumping.

The city will make use of 185,000 recycling carts and 145,000 garbage carts. Each cart holds 240 litres, which is equivalent to four blue boxes or three standard-sized garbage bags.

As part of the master plan, a flat fee of $50 per year will be added to Winnipeggers' water bills. Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) proposed that the rate be based on property values to make it affordable for everyone.

"We're trying to improve our environment, but we also need to take into consideration people's ability to pay," Eadie said.

Ross felt a different approach was more suitable.

"I would say it would make more sense to pay based on how much garbage you produce, cause if you pay based on the market value of your house, that doesn't really correlate to how much garbage you produce," she said.

"A $200,000 home could produce very little garbage, but would have to pay a premium to have their garbage removed."

Council approved the plan without Eadie’s proposed amendment, but passed a motion to create a Citizens' Advisory Committee, so the initiative could be perfected in the future. Mayor Sam Katz said he did not think the plan was perfect, but he was optimistic.

"Every journey starts with a first step. This is our step," said Katz.