House Rules on Waste Management

Click here for PDF version of these rules.

  1. Reduce / Reuse
    1. Sell, give-away, donate
    2. Give-away Weekend
  2. Recycle
  3. Organic Waste
    1. Household organic waste
    2. Yard and plant waste
    3. Christmas trees
  4. Garbage
    1. Household garbage
    2. Bulky waste
    3. 4R Winnipeg depots
    4. Household hazardous waste
    5. Electronics and batteries
  1. REDUCE / REUSE

Schedule 4 of the OGHC Environmental Sustainability Policy suggests ways that co-op residents can create less waste by shared use of items such as fitness equipment, hand tools, garden implements, cooking equipment, and more.

A. SELL, GIVE-AWAY, DONATE

  1. The co-op encourages members to first offer unwanted but still usable items to other residents by listing them on the co-op Residents’ Forum.
  2. The Members Only “how to” page of the OGHC website lists community agencies in Winnipeg that accept various kinds of goods . Some agencies will pick up larger donations like furniture or appliances, by arrangement.

B. GIVE-AWAY WEEKEND

For one weekend in May and again in September, the City of Winnipeg allows residents to place unwanted items on the city boulevards for others to take. Items must be tagged as “free” and are available to anyone who wants them. On Sunday evening, anything left behind must be removed and appropriately disposed of.

  1. RECYCLE
  1. Every co-op suite has been provided with a small blue bin to collect recyclables during the week. Food containers intended for recycling must be emptied and rinsed clean.
  2. Blue recycling carts are located at both OGHC sites, adjacent to the garbage bins. Recyclables should be dropped loose into the bins, not tied together, packed into boxes or placed inside plastic bags.
  3. The blue carts are emptied weekly by the City of Winnipeg (currently on Fridays).

The following common household items ARE NOT ACCEPTED for recycling in Winnipeg, even if they are marked with a recyclable logo:

  • take-out coffee cups
  • plastic produce bags, supermarket shopping bags, “air pillows”; plastic film, and cellophane
  • bubble wrap, padded envelopes; foam packaging inserts or “peanuts”
  • blister packs from medications
  • foam meat trays; foam egg cartons; foam take-out containers
  • black plastic trays from microwave meals or from baked products; black plastic plant pots
  • aluminum foil pie plates, foil take-out containers, cooking foil
  • giftwrap, gift bags, tissue paper
  • waxed paper from fast-food containers.

In Winnipeg, the following items currently ARE ACCEPTED:

  • newspapers and inserts, flyers, and junk mail
  • magazines, catalogues, household paper, and envelopes
  • cardboard egg cartons; cardboard tubes from toilet tissue or kitchen towel
  • flattened cardboard boxes that will fit loosely inside a blue cart (cut down if necessary)
  • flattened boxboard from items like breakfast cereals, cookies, crackers, tissues etc.
  • glass jars (rinsed clean); clear and coloured glass bottles
  • aluminum drink cans
  • steel (tin) food cans, pet food cans (rinsed clean)
  • milk and juice cartons; juice boxes, tetra packs (eg ready-to-eat soup)
  • plastic bottles, tubs, pails, jugs and rigid packaging (rinsed clean)
  • shredded office paper (placed in a blue or transparent bin bag, tightly closed)

For a more complete listing of items that ARE and ARE NOT accepted in the blue carts, see the Winnipeg Recycling Cart Collection page.

  1. ORGANIC WASTE

When organic material breaks down it generates methane, a greenhouse gas. Diverting organics from the city landfill is an important step towards combatting climate change.

A. HOUSEHOLD ORGANIC WASTE

  1. All co-op residents can participate in the co-op’s composting program during the summer months. Wooden compost bins are located on the Arlington site, between the blue recycling carts and the front-load garbage bin. These bins are in use from May thru October and are managed by the co-op’s Compost Team. Instructions are posted on the Composting at OGHC webpage https://www.oldgracehousingcoop.ca/members-only/how-to/composting-at-oghc/
  2. From November through April (6 months), organic waste is collected in a green bin located next to the back lane exit from the Arlington wing. The green bin is emptied weekly by Compost Winnipeg (currently on Thursdays). Co-op residents pay to cover the cost of this service and a subsidy is available to any resident who needs it. To sign up for this service, please contact the Compost Team.

B. YARD AND PLANT WASTE

  1. The City of Winnipeg collects yard waste biweekly from April to November, picking this up on the scheduled garbage day.
  2. Yard waste must be put out for collection in paper yard waste bags or in open-top cardboard boxes (not in plastic trash bags). Bags and boxes are not returned.
  3. When disposing of plants grown indoors or on balconies, residents should remove as much soil as possible by either shaking it into the compost bin, or onto the co-op’s vegetable garden. Leaves can be added to the compost but the woody stems need to be put into yard waste bags for pick-up. Plastic plant pots and water filtering bases don’t go in the blue recycling carts – they belong in the garbage bin.
  4. If the weather is wet, filled yard waste bags can be temporarily stored in the covered part of the Arlington parking lot. Before collection day, these bags must be moved to the area next to the back-lane exit from the Arlington wing. Large garbage trucks have difficulty turning into the Arlington back lane, so the area between the back-lane exit and the walkway to the parking lot must be kept clear of bags and boxes at all times.
  5. Each fall, co-op volunteers rake fallen leaves from the boulevards around the co-op. These are stored on the Arlington site to use as “browns” for the following year’s composting.

C. CHRISTMAS TREES

Let’s Chip In is the name of the City of Winnipeg’s Christmas tree recycling program. Trees are accepted from the end of December to the end of January each year. Let’s Chip In is not a curbside pick-up service – users must take their Christmas trees to one of the designated collection sites. 

Some community organisations may offer curbside pick-up for a small fee.

 

  1. GARBAGE

A. HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE

  1. There is a large front-load garbage bin on the south side of the Arlington site, next to the back lane. This is emptied by the City of Winnipeg (currently on Tuesdays and Fridays).
  2. There are 4 black garbage carts on the west side of the Evanson site, next to the back lane. These are emptied weekly by the City of Winnipeg (currently on Fridays).

Some items like electronics, batteries, medications, and printer cartridges should not be thrown out with other household garbage, as they need special handling (see City of Winnipeg Water and Waste website)  

B. BULKY WASTE

  1. Large items like appliances, furniture, box springs and mattresses are not accepted as household garbage. Residents who want to get rid of these things must call 311 to schedule a special pick-up BEFORE moving anything to the back lane. The City charges a small fee for a special pick-up, which residents must pay themselves. A no-charge alternative is for residents to take bulky items to a 4R Winnipeg Depot.
  2. The garbage truck that picks up the front-load bin on the Arlington site needs to be able to manoeuvre its “forks” into position, in order to lift the bin. Any large items left in front of or beside the garbage bin, or against the wooden fence, will block its access. When this happens, the garbage bin won’t get emptied AND the co-op will be fined for obstructing the area.

C. 4R WINNIPEG DEPOTS

There are 3 locations where Winnipeg residents can drop off appliances, large electronics and other items without charge. The 4R Depot nearest to the co-op is at 1120 Pacific Avenue. For a complete listing of items accepted for reuse, resale or recycling, see https://www.winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste/recycle/4rdepots/default.stm

D. HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE

Household hazardous waste is any product discarded from a home that contains volatile chemicals. These products can be identified by the danger symbols on their packaging. Examples of potentially hazardous products in common use are:

  • aerosol cans (eg oven cleaner, fly spray, foam insulation)
  • household cleaners and disinfectants (eg. toilet bowl cleaner, drain opener)
  • insect repellent
  • pesticides / insecticides (for killing mice or insects)
  • paint brush cleaners / solvents / varnish remover
  • oil-based and alkyd paints; empty cans from these paints

For a more complete listing of household hazardous waste products, see https://www.winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste/garbage/hhw.stm

E. ELECTRONICS AND BATTERIES

For the convenience of co-op residents, small electronics and metal items that cannot go into the garbage may be left on the labelled shelves at the north end of the basement Storage Locker Room on the Arlington site. Co-op volunteers periodically take these to a 4R Winnipeg Depot.

Items that can be left in this area are:

  • Small electronics (laptops, cell phones, chargers, cables and other hardware)
  • Small items of metal waste (pots, pans, kitchen appliances; power tools)
  • Used batteries. For fire safety, residents should put tape over the terminals of 9-volt batteries before putting them into the battery collection box.
  • Light bulbs, including compact fluorescent bulbs

Note: Residents must take large items like TVs, desktop computers, printers and such to a 4R Winnipeg Depot themselves.

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