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The northwest area has been serviced by automated collection since February 2010 (north of the Assiniboine River and west of the Red River, as shown by the red area on this map).

From inside the vehicle, the driver activates a mechanical arm on the garbage truck to pick up, empty and return the cart to its location.

• Cost savings in the long term because automated collection is more efficient than manual collection.
• Fewer litter, odour and pest problems because the carts have lids.
• Provides a safer work environment for garbage collectors. They will not suffer from the typical injuries that go with repeatedly lifting heavy objects into a truck (e.g., leg, back and shoulder injuries). Nor will they risk injury from sharp objects in garbage bags (e.g., hypodermic needles, broken glass, nails).

The carts:

• hold about 240 litres, equal to 3 regular size garbage containers,
• are approx 0.59 metres (24 inches) wide, 0.74 metres (29 and a half inches) deep and 1.06 metres (42 inches) tall,
• are grey in colour,
• have large wheels that make them easy to roll, even over curbs, gravel and snow,
• are made of a durable plastic material, and last about 20 years.

The dimensions of the 360 litre carts are 0.64 metres (25 inches) wide, 0.88 metres (34 and a half inches) deep and 1.13 metres (44 and a half inches) tall.

Do not take the cart with you as it does not belong to you. The cart is the property of the City of Winnipeg and is assigned to each property address through a serial number and an electronic tag. If you move, you must store the cart in a safe place for the next resident to use.

Residents are responsible for keeping their cart clean and secure. If the cart is damaged or vandalized from neglect, residents will be responsible for the cost of replacing the cart.

You can store your cart where you now store your garbage container (e.g., carport, garage, at the side of your house, just inside your fence). You must store your cart on your property between collections. Carts left in the back lane are more at risk of theft, vandalism and damage from snowplows.

Contact 311. We will look at the circumstances and arrange for you to receive a replacement cart or have your cart repaired (e.g., lids, wheels). If your cart is stolen or damaged through neglect or misuse, we will replace it at your expense. If we damage your cart during collection, we will replace it at no cost to you.

Convert your plastic or metal garbage containers into yard waste containers, compost bins or rain barrels. Rain barrel conversion kits are available for purchase at the Living Prairie Museum .

The automated collection truck cannot turn the cart around as it picks it up. Dumping the cart "backwards" can break or damage the lid.

The collection arm on the automated truck requires space so it will not tip over other carts or damage property (e.g., parked vehicles, fences).

No. Only garbage inside the cart will be collected. You must save any garbage that doesn't fit in your cart until the next collection day. You can continue to contact 311 to arrange for special collection of bulky waste items that don’t fit in the cart (e.g., mattresses, furniture). A charge may apply.

No. You can place your cart out on any of your collection days.

The wheeled carts are in many ways easier to roll than lifting a garbage container. However, if you are unable to move the cart and have no one living in the home that is able to do so, you can apply for our walk-up service.

Contact 311.

Every cart is numbered and electronically tagged, so carts can be traced to each address.

No. The collection trucks will not empty carts sold by home improvement stores.

Yes, but it must be unlocked and moved to your collection point before 7:00 am on collection day.

Residents are encouraged to use compostable bags. However clear plastic bags are acceptable. Coloured plastic bags are not acceptable and will not be collected.

They will compost right along with the organic material during the composting process.

They completely decompose along with the organic material and become part of the finished compost.

Certified compostable plastic bags are marked with either of the following logos:

Bags with this certification conform to industry acceptable standards for 100 per cent compostable products. Only compostable bags carrying this logo will be accepted in our program.

Certified compostable bags are available at some retail stores (e.g., Canadian Tire, Home Depot).

They are compostable, but do not carry a certification logo.

Paper yard waste bags:

• are all-natural,
• weatherproof,
• very durable,
• stay open when filling with yard waste materials and
• won't puncture easily from twigs.

They are available in many home improvement and grocery stores.

Contact 311.

Collectors must be able to tell from a distance that the container is yard waste. You can keep a lid on your container for storage, and remove the lid on collection day.

No. You can set out as many containers as you need to.

Leave your yard waste out and contact 311.

It is taken to a central location and composted into a reusable soil-like material. We use it to landscape finished landfill areas.

Yes – keep on composting! This collection program is for those residents who aren't recycling their yard waste or have too much to manage through backyard composting. For more information on composting, contact Green Action Centre .

You can also do other things with yard waste:

• Recycle your bagged yard waste free of charge by dropping it off at any seasonal leaf it with us yard waste depot. It will be composted into a reusable soil-like material and used to landscape finished landfill areas.
• Drop off your loose or bagged yard waste, including leaves and branches less than 100 millimetres (4 inches) in diameter, year-round at Brady Road Landfill. Tipping fees will not apply. However, should any load contain other materials, then fees will be applied on the entire load. Please use lane one when entering the landfill and staff will direct you to the leaf it with us organic yard waste compost drop off area across the road from the scale.
• Grasscycle / mulch – just leave the grass clippings on the lawn after mowing. The clippings quickly dry out, decompose, and recycle nutrients back into the soil and make your lawn healthy and green. Every time you throw away one bag of grass clippings, you are throwing away about 1/4 pound of lawn fertilizer!
• Brush or tree trimmings can be put out for regular garbage collection as long as branches are less than 100 millimetres (4 inches) in diameter, cut and tied into bundles no longer than one metre (39 inches) and weighing no more than 34 kilograms (75 pounds).
• Information on what you can do with your yard waste is also available by calling the recycling and garbage information line at 204-986-8888, code 9813 or contacting 311.