Ways to Reduce your Waste-Line...Making Every Week Waste Reduction Week

For several years Thunder Bay has taken part in the nation-wide Waste Reduction Week celebration to raise awareness of waste reduction. The City of Thunder Bay Environment Division, EcoSuperior, and our community partners coordinate a wide range of activities each October. Here are some tips to make every week Waste Reduction Week.

Mr. Green’s Guide: Re-Use it!Recycle it! Reduce Waste

Ever wonder what to do with old computers, printer cartridges, or other items that you no longer have use for, but you know don’t belong in the landfill? Check out this comprehensive new guide for local recycling and re-use solutions. It is now available on-line at http://www.thunderbay.ca/rrrguide, or pick up a hard copy at the Thunder Bay Public Library or EcoSuperior office.

Household Hazardous Waste Depot

Old lawnmower gas, motor oil, dead batteries, old medicines, leftover stain and paint—all of these items can harm our environment if disposed of with household trash. The Household Hazardous Waste Depot at the John Street Landfill Site is free of charge for city residents, and you can drop off items all year round for safe disposal. Also, check out Mr. Green's Guide for other options.

Reduce! We Canadians collect so much stuff! Studies have shown that if everyone on Earth lived like the average Canadian, we would need more than four planet Earths to provide all the materials and energy we currently use. So many things are used only once or twice, and then tossed in a drawer, closet, basement or garage, and eventually end up in the landfill. We can have a big impact by asking ourselves a few simple questions before we make a purchase, such as:

- Do I really need this?
- Do I have something already that would do the job, or could I borrow or buy second-hand?
- Is this a quality product that will last?
- Does it contain toxic substances that will pollute my home and my environment?
- Is their an alternative with less packaging?
- How far did this item have to travel to reach me?
So, Maybe I don't need to buy this after all!

Reuse! Lots of people throw stuff in the garbage simply because they don't know what else to do with it. But hold on there...there are lots of options for passing along your unwanted items. Many charities that are happy to take your used goods (in useable condition), and some will even pick them up from you. These are also great places to shop for bargains. Other options include hosting a yard sale or posting items in the classified section of the newspaper, or with local web-based exchange programs suchs as Freecycle or Craigslist. Remeber the old saying..."one person's trash is another person's treasure". The more we re-use, the longer our resources will last.

Recycle! There are a lot of reasons to recycle. For instance, recycling reduces the need for land-filling and incineration; prevents pollution; saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions; conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals and helps sustain the environment for future generations. Sometimes, especially if you move from city to city, it can be confusing as to what is recyclable and what isn't. Thunder Bays distance from recycling plants makes it expensive to ship recyclables, thus limiting which products can viably be collected. We can all help out by following our recycling guidelines (see your phone book or pick-up schedule for details). This will mean less time and money devoted to sorting out the garbage, so more energy can go towards future program expansions.

Amazing recycling Facts...Did you know? (Courtesy of ReCool Canada):

- Recycling 3,000 kilograms of aluminium will save enough energy, to power an average vehicle to the moon (384,000 kms away).

- Throwing out one aluminium can is like pouring out 170ml of gasoline, but recycling that same can will save enough energy to run a television set for 3 hours.

- Paper and cardboard make up nearly 40% of the waste stream. By recycling one tonne of paper we save:
- 26,319 liters of water
- 1,753 liters of oil
- 219 kilograms of air pollution
- 2.34 cubic meters of landfill site
- 4,077 Kilowatt Hours of Electricity
(Enough to power a typical three bedroom house for one year).

Municipal Green Award

The Municipal Green Award serves as an incentive and gives recognition to successful waste reduction initiatives of individuals, businesses and organizations in Thunder Bay.  

The Zero Waste Action Team (ZWAT) and the City of Thunder Bay are currently assessing 2007 applications for the award, and will begin accepting 2008 applications in late October until May 2, 2008.

Previous recipients include Valhalla Inn, Pack Pros Plus, Ontario Power Generation, Thunder Bay Salmon Association, Victoria Inn, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and MGM Electric.  Castlegreen Housing Cooperative received a certificate of recognition for their waste reduction efforts.

For more information, or for an application form, visit www.zwat.ca or call Vanessa DeGiagomo at 625-3851.

More Waste Reduction Opportunities

Travel Mugs vs. Disposable Coffee Cups

Want to save money and help the environment?  Several coffee and tea shops around town will give you a discount when you bring your own mug.  And those discounts can really add up.  For example, if you bought a coffee five days a week, you could throw out 260 disposable cups, or, if you used your own mug, you would save $26 or more each year, depending on the store…that’s a lot of free drinks (or a lot of garbage)!   Here is a list of places we found that will give you a discount when you bring your own mug.  Ask them for details:

- Calico Coffeehouse (coffee)
- Great Northwest Coffee Company (coffee)
- Café West Arthur (coffee)
- Tim Hortons (hot drinks)
- Starbucks (any drink)
- Steepers (tea)
- Seattle Coffee House

Take an Old Bag Shopping

We are encouraging residents to help give plastic bags the sack by using re-usable cloth shopping bags or bins for carrying their wares.  Watch for our “Take an Old Bag Shopping” bumper stickers at your local grocery store.Click here to find out more, including where to find re-usable shopping bags in Thunder Bay.

Compost!  Canadians produce approximately 7 million tonnes of organic waste each year.  By composting our kitchen and yard “waste” we can reduce the amount of material going to the landfill by 30 %.  Also, compost makes great food and mulch for plants, replacing chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  Compost improves soil structure and fertility and increases its moisture-holding capacity, all while reducing waste!  Build your own bin or buy one from EcoSuperior. We have lots of information to help you get started.

Turn That Key… Go Idle-Free! 

There’s a new game in town.  Instead of using the drive-thru at a fast-food or coffee shop, some smart customers are entering the parking lot, turning off their vehicles, and checking out the line-up of cars in the drive-thru lane.  They walk into the building to make their purchase, and then walk back out to their vehicle, noticing where the drivers in line are at.  And more often than not, they are on their way, enjoying their coffee while the idlers are still in line! 

Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than it does to restart your engine.  Add to the unnecessary wasting of fuel (and money!!) the extra pollution going into the air and the wear and tear on your vehicle, and idling really doesn’t make much sense at all!

Experts agree that the best way to warm up your car is to drive it.  Help your vehicle out on those extra cold days by plugging in the block heater for 2-3 hours prior to use, and scrape the frost away rather than waiting for the defroster to do it for you. 

Of course, some of the best ways to get around without harming the environment are by foot, bicycle, roller blades or public transit.  But if you are going to drive, please remember to use your vehicle responsibly.  There’s only so much fresh air and fuel to go around, and we all need to do our part.

For more information on any of these programs call EcoSuperior at 624-2140. To find out about other waste reduction activities taking place across Canada, check out www.wrwcanada.com