With the arrival of fall comes another annual event: Waste Reduction Week! Waste Reduction Week takes place right across Canada from October 17th – 23rd, 2011. Thunder Bay will once again be a part of this nationwide celebration to raise awareness of waste reduction. Here’s the scoop on all of the activities offered during the week by the City of Thunder Bay Transportation & Works Department, EcoSuperior and our community partners:
- Waste Reduction & Recycling Info Fair
- School Programs
- Radio Promotions & Get Caught Recycling Contest
- Composter Delivery Service
- Free Tours
- Household Hazardous Waste Depot
- Retail Programs
- The Great Pumpkin Compost Collection
- Thunder Bay's Green Guide
Waste Reduction and Recycling Fair
Join the City of Thunder Bay, EcoSuperior, and Confederation College Waste Management students at Intercity Shopping Centre for this information fair on Saturday, October 15th. Learn what you can do to reduce your "waste-line" at this interactive and educational event. Bring your questions, pick up some giveaways, and enter a draw for great prizes! Find us in the promo court between 9:30 am and 6 pm. Some of the exciting activities and displays you’ll find at the fair include:
- Don't toss it- Repair it!
- Bottled water vs. the Tap
- Earthships
- Composting
- Coffee grounds and all their goodness
- Batteries
- Textile Reduction
- Artistic Garbage
- Greenwashing as related to waste reduction and diversion
And more!
School Programs
EcoSuperior and Lakehead University Education students will be visiting classrooms during Waste Reduction Week. These fun and interactive presentations will help students learn the importance of re-using, reducing and recycling. Students may also have an opportunity to tour the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling Facility, and/or ReCool Canada’s recycling plant. This year grade 1 & 2 classes can also learn how worms help the composting process with an interactive vermicomposting presentation complete with wiggly helpers! Students can even be treated to a visit from a local super eco-hero Super Recycle Girl! We also have lots of great activities, lesson plans and other resources for educators, including our Green School Recycling & Composting Manuals. Call Jessica @ 624-2142 or contact us for more information, to book presentations, and to arrange tours.
Radio Promotions & Get Caught Recycling
Stay tuned to your favourite local radio stations for a chance to flaunt your waste reduction knowledge and win great prizes. More prizes are up for grabs if one of our volunteers catches you in the act of recycling around town. You never know who might be watching!
Composter Delivery Service
Take advantage of our complimentary composter delivery service offered exclusively during Waste Reduction Week! Call EcoSuperior at 624-2141 to reserve a composter and enjoy free, to-your-doorstep delivery between Oct. 17th and 21st. Composters are $25.00, payable at time of delivery by cheque or cash (exact change only please!). We’ll include all the information you need to get started.
Public Tour of the Solid Waste & Recycling Facility
Ever wonder about the journey that waste travels once it leaves the curb? Don’t miss the opportunity to see what happens at its final destination through a tour of the Solid Waste & Recycling Facility on Thursday, October 20th. We’ll even provide the transportation. The tour will run from 10:30am-12:15pm, including travel time and is free of charge. Call 624-2141 for pick-up locations and to reserve your seat, as space is limited!
Public Tour of the Recycling Plant
You may have heard rumours that recyclables collected end up at the landfill—it’s time to prove them wrong! Witness behind the scenes at ReCool Canada’s recycling facility on Monday, October 24th. We’ll take care of the transportation. The tour will run from 10:30am-12:15pm, including the drive and is free of charge. Call 624-2141 for pick-up locations and to reserve your seat.
Household Hazardous Waste Depot
Don’t throw that hazardous waste away! The Household Hazardous Waste Depot at the City of Thunder Bay Solid Waste & Recycling Facility is free of charge for city residents. You can drop off items all year round, including paints, cleaners, batteries, fertilizers, medicines and more. Call 684-2195 for additional info.
Retail Program
There are also ways to get your business involved and let everyone know what kind of waste reduction initiatives you’re working on. We invite you to take part in Waste Reduction Week by highlighting products or services that help your customers reduce waste, save energy or prevent pollution. How about challenging your co-workers in a waste-less lunch contest, or starting a recycling or composting program? Paint stores across the City will be participating in the annual Paint Sticker Program to help remind people about how to safely dispose of leftover paint products. Look for the yellow sticker when you purchase paint at a store near you!
Great Pumpkin Compost Collection
When you think of Halloween, all sorts of fun and spooky things come to mind: trick or treating, creative costumes, and Jack-o-Lanterns of course! When the Halloween fun is done, remember to put Jack in the Box, not in the trash. Since the collection began in 1995, over 276 metric tonnes of pumpkins have been diverted from the landfill to the municipal composting facility. Bins for Halloween Pumpkins will be set up from November 1st –14th at the Lakehead Labour Centre, County Fair Plaza and the Westfort Playfield. Remember — no plastic bags, no candles, and no trash — pumpkins only please! Sponsored by ReCool Canada and Print Pros Plus.
Don't forget to check out Thunder Bay's "Green Guide"
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 guide for local recycling and re-use solutions. It is available on-line here, or pick up a hard copy at the Thunder Bay Public Library or EcoSuperior office.
This Waste Reduction Week program is funded by the City of Thunder Bay Transportation & Works Department and delivered by EcoSuperior Environmental Programs. For more information on any of these activities call EcoSuperior at 624-2142.
Page last updated on Thursday, October 06, 2011
