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A range of community-based projects will move ahead with more than $280,000 in support through the Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention (WRAPP) Fund, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced today, as Waste Reduction Week began.

 

The awareness week runs from Oct. 18 to 24.

 

“We are joining with community groups and making investments to reduce organic waste and improve the quality of our environment,” Blaikie said. “For example, improving composting is important for waste reduction as it prevents organic waste from entering the waste stream and helps Manitoba achieve its objectives for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.”

 

The grants, for a total of 21 projects, include $10,000 each to the City of Steinbach and the City of Thompson for composting activities. Steinbach will create two depot sites for residents to drop off compostable waste to help reduce the amount of curbside organic material destined for the landfill. The grant to Thompson will support a backyard composter promotion.

 

The WRAPP grants include funding to introduce composting in school classrooms, divert construction and demolition waste and improve recycling, and waste-minimization programs. Funding will also assess the types of agricultural waste generated by Manitoba farms, the first step toward establishing a stewardship program for the collection and recycling of such waste, said Blaikie.

 

Through support from the WRAPP Fund, the Green Action Centre provides resources, referrals, information, training and technical advice to backyard, school, workplace and community composting projects across the province. The $150,000 grant also supports the centre’s Environmental Information Services, Environmental Speakers Bureau for schools, and Living Green Living Well project, which provides helpful tips on how to live more sustainably.

 

“Waste Reduction Week is a great time to focus on how we all can live more sustainably, whether by backyard composting, recycling or taking the bus,” said Randall McQuaker, executive director of the Green Action Centre (formerly Resource Conservation Manitoba). “Through the WRAPP Fund, Green Action has been able to help many more Manitobans make positive changes that benefit the environment.”