As part of an $8.7 million investment from the provincial government to divert waste from landfills, the City of Steinbach will be receiving $30,000 to expand its compost programming. The focus of these investments will be to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and create a circular economy in Manitoba.
“Manitobans make considerable effort to protect the environment through recycling and waste diversion,” said Environment, Climate and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton. “We are pleased to further this effort by funding new initiatives and supporting communities and organizations that deliver valuable services.”
The $8.7-million investment comes from the Waste Reduction and Recycling Support (WRARS) program. The program supports a variety of initiatives that help divert over 130,000 tonnes of waste from Manitoba landfills annually. These efforts reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and promote a circular economy: a closed-loop system which focuses on eliminating waste by reusing, recycling and refurbishing equipment, products, machinery and infrastructure for a longer duration.
An investment of $120,000 of one-time funding into waste diversion projects will further divert waste from Manitoba landfills. Mother Earth Recycling, an Indigenous-led social enterprise in Winnipeg, is receiving $30,000 to expand its capacity to recycle plastic components from children’s car seats. The initiative focuses on creating circularity for end-of-life plastic materials.
“Our operation’s success has been as a result of taking on difficult to recycle materials while maintaining a triple bottom line that considers people, planet and profit,” said Jessica Floresco, general manager, Mother Earth Recycling. “We achieve this by taking care of the planet through innovative recycling initiatives, and creating employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people who face barriers to employment.”
The Manitoba government continues to encourage blue box recycling, offering $7 million in recycling rebates to municipalities and Northern Affairs communities.
The Product Care Association is receiving $700,000 to collect and properly dispose of stockpiled household hazardous waste such as spray-foam containers and propane. This initiative focuses on northern landfills and helps to ensure these materials do not enter the environment.
The Manitoba Association of Regional Recyclers (MARR), a non-profit association with members from community and regional recycling and waste reduction programs across the province, is receiving $50,000 to support the promotion of cost-efficient and effective recycling in Manitoba. MARR focuses on education, information sharing and facilitating collaboration between members.
The Manitoba government is also continuing to support diversion of organic waste from landfills, providing up to $875,000 in Manitoba Composts Support Payments to private and public compost facilities. Diverting organic waste to compost facilities extends the life of landfills, reduces greenhouse-gas emissions from the waste sector and produces compost, a valuable soil-amendment that supports plant growth.
Eco-West Canada is receiving $30,000 for market research to increase organic waste diversion and the University of Manitoba is receiving $30,000 to support organic waste research. These initiatives will play a role in diverting additional waste from Manitoba landfills in 2023 while exploring opportunities to expand diversion in future years.
