Province orders halt of compost operation

The Manitoba government has ordered to Samborski Garden Supplies' to cease its composting operation.

As of this Sunday, the Winnipeg company will no longer be able to pick up organic waste for its composting business, which was launched about two years ago.

The company had been collecting the waste frombusinesses including the MTS Centre, Costco and numerous restaurants and composting at its McGillivray Boulevard site for sale to city gardeners.

But people living in the city's Whyte Ridge neighbourhood have been complaining about the smell.

That prompted the province to issue an order for the company to stop picking up any new organic material as of Sept. 5.

'We're not trying to be bad neighbors. We're not trying to do anything wrong.' John Samborski

John Samborski said he understands the residents' concerns and tried to buy a different site south of the city near the Brady Road landfill, but was turned down by the rural municipality, which said the area is not zoned for that purpose.

"I feel for them. We've been trying to work and improve our operations everyday out here," he said.

"We're not trying to be bad neighbors. We're not trying to do anything wrong."

He said the business has grown fast. Two years ago, he was taking in four tonnes of organic waste a week. Now, it's close to 100 tonnes.

Samborski wants the province to change the zoning around the landfill site to allow him to move there. He has requested that but nothing has happened.

"They don't care, they just want us out of here," he said. "Maybe we should be out of here, but we have our rights too, and we're going to exercise our rights to the full extent that we have to."

Samborski has invested $1 million into the composting business and doesn't intend to just walk away from it.

He has been in touch with a lawyer but won't say what his next move will be.