FAQ

When reusing isn’t an option, recycling is the last line of defense to keep materials out of the landfill. When you recycle, you’re helping protect natural resources, improve the quality of groundwater, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our planet, especially Manitoba and other prairie provinces, is feeling the effects of global warming. We need to do whatever we can to lessen the impact. Curbside recycling is a convenient way to reduce waste going to landfills, which addresses the continuing threat to our environment as well as the critical shortage of landfill space. Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into new products or resources. Useful materials aren’t wasted, reducing the consumption of raw materials and energy during manufacturing. Recycling isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s impact shouldn’t be overlooked; in 2022 alone, Manitoba’s residential recycling programs recovered over 77 million kilograms of accepted materials.

Your blue bin is for packaging and printed paper. For example, milk cartons, glass food and beverage containers, plastic bottles, juice boxes, margarine containers, aluminum cans, cardboard, newspapers, cereal boxes, and steel food containers can all go in your blue bin! You can recycle other materials like tires, electronics, and batteries at dedicated collection sites. Look up items in the Recyclepedia to find out if and how you can recycle them. Scroll down past the Recyclepedia if you’d prefer to look at a list of accepted blue bin items.

Gable top containers (i.e., milk cartons) and aseptic containers (i.e., juice boxes) are completely recyclable because they are mostly made of paper.

To find out when recycling day is in your community, contact the local waste department in your municipality. Many cities, including Brandon, Steinbach, Portage la Prairie, and Winnipeg have online collection calendars.

Once your recycling is collected, it’s are transported to your local MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) to be processed. The materials get sorted, baled, and placed in the shipping area to await transportation to manufacturing plants. Due to Manitoba’s location, most materials are shipped to end markets in Canada and the U.S.

Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM) is a not-for-profit, industry-funded organization that develops, supports, and helps fund residential recycling programs for designated packaging and printed paper in Manitoba.

Obligated producers, or stewards, of packaging and printed paper provide up to 80% of the funds for efficient municipal recycling programs across the province. These stewards include brand owners, importers, and franchisors who sell consumer goods in Manitoba.

While MMSM funds up to 80% of recycling program costs through steward contributions, Manitoba communities fund the remaining portion of their program costs with funding from taxes, levies on the waste that is sent to landfills, and in some cases from revenue of recycled material sales (depending on market conditions).

Yes, each community arranges to collect the materials either through its own collection services or under contract to private sector collectors. Depending on the contract  between a community and contractor, the community or the contractor will market materials to end-markets for them to be recycled into new products. MMSM funding applies to operating costs such as collection and processing.

Who do I contact about a missed pickup or a broken cart in the City of Winnipeg?

Please reach out the city via 311 or by email at 311@winnipeg.ca.

MMSM’s corporate website is Stewardship Manitoba. We always welcome direct contact by phone at (204) 953-2010 or by reaching out to us on our Contact Us page.