Did you know that you can drop off most of your trash and other more unconventional household waste items right here in Steinbach?
This is something the City’s Solid Waste Manager, Eldon Wallman, would like folks to be more aware of – that Steinbach’s Class 1 Regional Landfill & Waste Diversion Facility is equipped to handle more than just residential waste. The facility also accepts other unwanted items for proper recycling or handling. For example, household hazardous waste.
“Paint, that’s obvious. You don’t want it in the landfill,” says Wallman. “Fluorescent light bulbs have mercury, and the newest thing everywhere in North American landfills is lithium batteries, right from the little AAAs up to the ones in your laptop or lawnmower. Lithium batteries are the number one cause of landfill fires in North America right now.”
Thankfully, the City’s hazardous and e-waste depot can handle such items, as well as disinfectants, kerosene, hair sprays and dyes, mothballs and wasp spray, car wax and transmission fluid, among others. (See the full list on the City of Steinbach website.)
“Just bring your items to the site and the helpful staff at the scale will direct you to the appropriate dop-off points when you arrive,” Wallman explains, adding that batteries are brought back to the manufacturer, which can then repurpose them properly.
It is, he likes to remind everyone, all about landfill health, which affects everyone in the community.
The past few years, Steinbach’s Solid Waste department has used a straightforward slogan for its awareness campaigns: “Keep Our Landfill Healthy.” That’s really all there is to it, although Wallman points out that the City shares a variety of tips and approaches to supporting a healthy landfill through traditional and digital campaigns using local media, their social media accounts, and their website.
Check out the City’s video on Solid Waste Services on their website.
Steinbach’s Classi 1 Regional Landfill & Waste Diversion facility manages waste for a number of communities in the region beyond Steinbach, which accounts for only around 43% of the solid waste brought to the landfill.
That means safely and responsibly disposing of electronics and other hazardous waste, as well as avoiding what Wallman says is the number one cause of greenhouse gases from landfills in North America: organic waste.
“For us, the big one is grass clippings,” he says. “People are still putting it at the end of their driveways, and we’re picking it up with our regular garbage crews. We don’t have the manpower to separate it all, so it goes to the landfill where it gives off methane gas. We want to avoid that as much as possible.”
By properly managing the landfill, Wallman says its lifespan can be expanded by a number of years, saving land and money. Naturally, folks will have questions.
“If you have questions, just reach out and ask me. I’m all ears,” he says. “I’ll answer any questions you have.”
The City of Steinbach landfill is located at 104 Hanover Road E, and information regarding seasonal hours and proper disposal can be found on its website, Facebook page, and Instagram account. Wallman can also be reached by calling (204) 346-6532 or emailing ewallman@steinbach.ca.