The Waste Reduction and Recycling Support (WRARS) Program was established to improve Manitoba’s waste diversion rate, encourage sustainable waste management practices and enhance municipal waste diversion activities.

Beginning July 1, 2009, all solid waste disposed at Manitoba landfills is subject to a $10 per Tonne WRARS Levy. The Levy applies to all residential, industrial, commercial and institutional waste, construction and demolition waste and other solid waste materials.

The WRARS Levy functions as a disincentive to waste disposal by increasing waste disposal costs. The program rewards municipal recycling efforts through a revenue sharing formula. Municipal governments and businesses can reduce their waste bill by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and municipalities can increase their financial reward through enhanced recycling and waste diversion activities.

All WRARS Levy revenues are deposited in the WRARS Fund established under The Waste Reduction and Prevention Act and are used to pay program administration costs, incentive payments to municipal recycling programs and the delivery of provincial electronic waste (e-waste) and household hazardous waste (HHW) collection programs.

The WRARS program is being introduced in three phases. Application of the WRARS Levy is related to landfill size and classification. Private industrial landfills that do not accept municipal solid waste and First Nations landfills are exempt from the WRARS Levy. First Nations may voluntarily participate in order to receive the WRARS recycling support rebate.

Phase 1 – July 1, 2009: Class 1 landfills that receive more than 30,000 tonnes of waste per year will begin paying the WRARS levy.

Phase 2 – January 1, 2010: All Class 1 landfills will begin paying the WRARS levy.

Phase 3 – January 1, 2011: All qualifying Manitoba landfills, including Class 2 and Class 3, begin paying the WRARS levy.

The WRARS Program -  Phase 2 reporting period from January to June 2010 is now complete. There are now 13 Class 1 landfills registered with the WRARS Program. A total of 406,800 Tonnes of waste was reported disposed and over $4.06 million in levy revenues were remitted. A total of 59 municipalities were eligible for recycling program rebates totalling $3.2 million. The recycling rebate payment was $105.85 per tonne of recycling reported. The average amount of eligible recycling was 68 kilograms per capita.

The second half of Phase 2 runs from July to December 2010. Landfill owners are required to remit the levy for this period on or before January 31, 2011.

All municipalities operating Class 2 and 3 landfills should now be registering with the WRARS Program. Levy remittances for the period from January to June 2011 will be due on or before July 31, 2011. Municipalities that deliver waste to Class 2 and 3 landfills must register their recycling programs with the WRARS Program to be eligible for the WRARS recycling rebate.