Winnipeg looking at giving money back to home composters

City looks for ways to increase safety on transit A new motion at city hall is looking to find ways to increase safety on Winnipeg Transit.

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg city councillor has put forward a motion that could see home composters getting some cash back.

The motion, put forward by Coun. Kevin Klein, directs the public service to look into the impacts of an annual $100 property tax rebate for households that engage in home-based composting.

“The purpose of the motion is to expedite the organic waste collection right now in the city, and the importance of organic waste,” the city councillor said.

The motion describes composting as an “environmentally friendly practice” that’s considerate of current citizens and future generations, adding that home-based composting is a simple solution to divert organic waste from landfills.

The motion also notes that if every residential household in the city were to compost at home, it would cut the amount of garbage in Winnipeg in half and reduce the city’s garbage collection and disposal budget by about $20 million a year.

Klein said more than 40 per cent of the garbage collected that goes to the Brady landfill is organic waste.

“This would be step one is looking at private residences. If we had a number of those homes doing their own organic waste composting or having a company pick it up for them, we would see a tremendous reduction in cost at the Brady landfill and it would make a substantial environmental impact,” Klein said.

TRANSIT SAFETY

Klein also put forward a motion for the city to look into finding ways to improve safety on Winnipeg Transit.

Klein said he’s heard from a number of residents that the reason they don’t use transit right now is due to fear.

“They’re afraid to use it, they’re afraid to be at bus stops,” he said.

“There’s a constant fear of using Winnipeg Transit.”

This motion directs the public service to report back on the crime and unsafe events taking place on buses, as well as to research a mechanism for bus drivers and passengers to report any crime or unsafe events on Winnipeg Transit.

“I believe there’s more that we could do, when you look at other jurisdictions across Canada,” Klein said.

“Many jurisdictions have implemented three or four practices to address transit safety.”

Both of these motions are on the agenda at the Assiniboia Community Committee’s meeting on Friday.