KLEIN: Winnipeg’s half-hearted composting approach is embarrassing

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This week, the City of Winnipeg made an announcement that would be laughable if it weren’t so disappointing. On October 15, the city, in partnership with Compost Winnipeg, will launch 15 food waste drop-off stations across Winnipeg. It’s being touted as a major initiative to help residents reduce food waste and combat climate change. Yet, when you look at the fine print, this is nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to look like we’re doing something while missing the bigger picture entirely.

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“For every tonne of food waste diverted, we remove two tonnes of CO2 emissions,” Mayor Scott Gillingham proudly proclaimed, as if the city had just solved the climate crisis. But let’s be real for a moment—this is a Band-Aid on a much bigger problem. They are trying to make this announcement sound impressive, but the reality is that it’s an embarrassment when you consider what other major cities across Canada are already doing.

Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and even smaller cities like Halifax have had comprehensive composting programs for years. These programs are built into their waste management systems, making it easy for residents to dispose of food waste curbside. So why is Winnipeg lagging so far behind? Why are we celebrating 15 drop-off stations that most people won’t even be able to access conveniently?

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The city’s plan is deeply flawed. First, let’s talk about accessibility. How are people supposed to participate in this program if they don’t have a vehicle? Not everyone has the luxury of driving to a drop-off station. What about those who rely on Handi-Transit or public transportation? Carrying food waste across the city to one of these 15 stations is impractical at best and impossible at worst. This initiative excludes a significant portion of our population, leaving those who don’t have easy access to transportation out of the equation entirely.

The city is busy spinning this announcement as a win for the environment when, in fact, they’re doing the bare minimum. What Winnipeg really needs is a comprehensive composting program, like those in other cities, where food waste is collected curbside from homes, apartment buildings, and restaurants. It’s not rocket science—cities across the country are doing it, and it’s been proven to work.

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One of the biggest sources of food waste is restaurants, and yet there’s no mention of how the city plans to address that in this new initiative. Restaurants generate tons of food waste every day, and it’s absurd that the city isn’t focusing on them as a starting point for meaningful composting. Here’s a simple solution: place large compost bins at restaurants and pick them up weekly. It’s efficient, it’s practical, and it would make a real impact.

The same could be done at apartment buildings. Many residents in multi-family dwellings would love to compost but have no way to do it. By placing compost bins in these buildings, we could make it easy for people to participate, without forcing them to transport their food waste across the city.

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This isn’t a new idea. When I was a city councillor, I fought to introduce a composting program four years ago. At the time, the excuses were the same ones we hear today—“we don’t have the money,” “it’s not the right time,” “we’ll look into it in the future.” Well, here we are in 2024, and what do we have to show for it? A piecemeal program that does little more than check a box and allows city councillors to pat themselves on the back.

Let’s talk about that excuse of “not having enough money.” The city claims it can’t afford a proper composting program, but I don’t buy that for a second. The problem isn’t that we don’t have the funds—it’s that city councillors aren’t interested in doing the hard work of finding efficiencies within city departments. Instead of constantly raising taxes by 3.5% or more each year and claiming we’re out of options, why not take a close look at the city’s current expenses? I guarantee that if we spent time reviewing where the money is going, we’d find the resources to fund a robust composting program and a lot more.

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But the will to do that isn’t there. Instead, councillors are content to roll out half-baked solutions, like these 15 food waste drop-off stations, and expect us to applaud their efforts. Well, I’m not applauding. I’m challenging the city to do better. We should not be celebrating this announcement—we should be demanding more.

The environment isn’t going to wait for us to get our act together. Climate change is a real and pressing issue, and food waste plays a significant role in that. According to the city, “for every tonne of food waste diverted, we remove two tonnes of CO2 emissions.” That’s a powerful statistic, and it only underscores how much of a missed opportunity this program is. If the city truly cared about making an impact, they wouldn’t stop at 15 drop-off stations—they’d implement a citywide composting program that tackles food waste at the source: in homes, apartments, and restaurants.

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The truth is, Winnipeg has been dragging its feet on this issue for far too long. We can’t afford to keep ignoring the problem or pretending that half measures are good enough. Other cities have shown us the way—now it’s time for Winnipeg to step up and take real action.

I’m calling on city councillors to go back to the drawing board. We need a comprehensive, accessible, and effective composting program that serves all Winnipeggers, not just those who can drive to a drop-off station. It’s time to stop making excuses and start finding solutions. The people of Winnipeg deserve better, and so does our environment.

— Kevin Klein is a former Tory cabinet minister, a former city councillor and President & CEO of Klein Group Ltd.

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