"There's always room for improvement."

That is Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen's take on the efforts being made to create a green city. However, he says residents are doing very well at reducing the amount of waste headed for the landfill.

(Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen)Goertzen held his monthly Open Door on Friday and the topic of waste reduction came up. He says compost depots are being planned for the city again in 2017.

"We want to continue to encourage people to reduce the amount of garbage that they send to the landfill and rather use it in composting," says Goertzen.

He says not only does this lengthen the life of the landfill, but the city also receives funding from the province for the compost it creates.

According to Goertzen, when you compare the statistics, Steinbach does very well compared to other centres in reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill. And he says even though Steinbach's population continues to grow, the amount of waste going to the landfill does not increase.

"That's a good sign," he says. "That means there's more people creating less waste per capita and that's what we want to see."

Goertzen says it is his belief that composting depots are a good first step in helping people reduce the waste they create.

Meanwhile, another resident came Friday to speak with him about building codes and how home inspections are administered. Goertzen says Steinbach has a vigorous planning department with trained inspectors that are making sure standards are being met.