The thaw earlier this month that shut down Winnipeg’s River Walking Trails for a few days not only provided a brief reminder that spring is on the way, it also exposed a vast mess of refuse scattered across the city’s parks, sidewalks and empty lots. Where does all our garbage come from and where does it go?

Recently, there has been considerable attention drawn to Manitoba’s poor recycling record, in comparison with the rest of the country.  CTV reported last month that not only is Manitoba the worst at waste, our recycling rates are dropping fast.  In 2002, Manitobans diverted 20% of their garbage into recycling programs. By 2006, this number had dwindled to only 13%.  Other provinces like British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Quebec are doing much better.  A few examples highlight some of the differences. 

Major Appliances

On February 21, the Province will provide $50 cash back incentives to get Manitobans to switch to new dual flush toilets.  This is great for reducing our water consumption but what will happen to the thousands of old toilets that need to be replaced.  Winnipeg has no program for recycling toilets or other large appliances. Indeed, the City’s $20 pickup fee for their disposal could wipe out much of the savings of the program.  Many other cities, ranging from Red Deer Alberta, to San Francisco, California have recycling programs that grind the porcelain into aggregate for road and highway paving. 

Aside from toilets, Manitobans dispose of countless major appliances each year.  Again this is often done with an environmental conscience, as consumers shift to Energy Star rated products or seek to reduce ozone depleting CFCs.  But at the disposal end, Manitoba again lacks a plan.  Quebec recycles almost a quarter of a million tonnes of refrigerators, ovens and other “white goods” each year. These contribute one of the largest sources of recycled metals, but we simply throw this valuable resource away.

Beverage containers

Across Canada, almost half of all plastic drink bottles were recycled, but this statistic conceals a big divide.  A 2004 plastics industry report paints the fuller picture. In provinces like Manitoba without refundable deposits on plastic bottles the rate was only 33%, in provinces where you pay a nickel or so up front for cash back when you return the bottle, the rate jumps to 75%.  It’s common sense, and it contributes to Manitoba falling further behind. 

Plastic bags

One might think Winnipeg’s urban forests were surrendering with all the white bags flapping and raling from their branches.  This plastic never breaks down. These bags will eventually fly off and litter the province’s fields and waterways.  For decades, they will poses hazards to wildlife and contribute to climate change by helping to produce methane gas. Those bags that make it into the landfill will remain for future civilizations to uncover. We all know it is a problem, but what is being done?

The small town of Leaf Rapids in Northern Manitoba has led the way in banning plastic shopping bags, but most of the province is lagging behind. Toronto has recently adopted a minimum charge of 5 cents per bag, and Calgary is debating a city-wide ban. Across Quebec, not only have several towns followed Leaf Rapid’s bag ban, 340 municipalities have recycling programs for plastic bags.  There are none in this province.

Some suggestions 

In order for Manitobans to alter their recycling habits, change needs to come from two directions.  First we need greater awareness of the problem.  Too many Manitobans don’t often think about their environment. We have inherited a frontier mentality in Western Canada that there is always somewhere beyond we can look to as a source of new materials and as a dump for our waste.  The global environmental shocks of climate change, toxic waste buildup and the end of cheap food will eventually, and forcefully disabuse us of this myth of our independence, but until then, education is needed.

Secondly, we need public policy that makes it easier for us to act in environmentally sound ways and provides disincentives to pollute.  Without financial and regulatory frameworks to curb our waste, we will continue to pollute.  Unless the convenient infrastructure is in place, many will find it easier to just throw things in the trash or leave them on the side of the road. 

Here are five modest suggestions from Resource Conservation Manitoba that could help our recycling rates climb, if not to the lofty levels of 40% that we see Nova Scotia, than at least above the 20% that Manitobans already achieved earlier in the decade.

1) Provide access to recycling for all citizens.  Voluntary participation for multi-suite buildings leaves many apartment residents without access to curbside recycling programs.  High turnover of residences in some neighbourhoods leaves new renters without Blue Boxes.  Without universal access, our rates will continue to fall behind other provinces.

2) Phase out plastic bags with either a minimum charge, as Toronto has done, or a tax, which could fund essential recycling and education services.

3) Refundable deposit programs for a wider ranges of consumer containers.

4) Keep recycling jobs and facilities local.  When people hear that their waste is shipped abroad for processing, it dampens their enthusiasm for recycling and undoes the important education efforts of groups like RCM.  

5) Follow Alberta’s lead with a $25 recycling fee on new computers.  Currently, the only consumers charged for recycling e-waste are the ones who are thoughtful enough to take it to the depot.  Why penalize good behaviour?