City council voted unanimously last night to give the Westman Recycling Council $100,000 over the next four months.

The Westman Recycling plant has been in danger of closing down due to a lack of funds. It recently gave the city notice that it might not be able to pay its lease and issued tentative layoff notices to its employees.

With the city’s money, the plant should be able to continue operating in the short term while a long-term solution is sought.

“It will give the Westman Recycling Council some breathing room, presumably, and give our administration an opportunity to work with them and the province,” Coun. Rick Chrest (University) said.

Conservation Minister Stan Struthers recently accused the City of Brandon of shortchanging Westman Recycling by not chipping in its share of cash for every tonne of recycled material collected.

The city, however, says it already pays more than its fair share because unlike other municipalities, it runs much of the recycling operations itself.

Mayor Dave Burgess said last night’s decision to give Westman Recycling an extra $100,000 doesn’t change its position when it comes to the dispute with the province.

“But in this interim time, I think it’s very important for us to step forward with the cash,” he said.

Coun. Vince Barletta (Rosser) said the move should silence any critics who say the city isn’t doing enough for Westman Recycling. “Anyone who’s been following this debate should no longer have any doubt about the City of Brandon’s commitment to recycling,” he said.

Coun. Doug Paterson (Assiniboine) said it would be unthinkable for council to have made any other choice.

“I think we’d be tarred and feathered if we didn’t vote for this temporary solution,” he said. “So it’s a bit of a no-brainer.”

Several councillors pointed out that Brandon residents can also help out by putting recyclables in blue bags before throwing them in the dumpster. The more recyclables collected, the more money Westman Recycling gets from the province.

“Probably the best thing citizens at large can do is get out there and get recycling,” Barletta said.

“Maybe the threat of losing it will smack people into action a little bit,” Chrest added.