Welcome to Clean Calgary's E-Newsletter. You are receiving this because you indicated interest in receiving up to date environmental information and tips concerning Calgary and urban environmental issues.
In this issue:
Waste Reduction Week October 15th -21st
Environmental issues tend to get a little extra attention at certain times of the year, especially during the National days, weeks or in some cases even months that are dedicated to them. You’re probably already familiar with Earth Day celebrated on April 22 and in some circles April is now referred to as Earth month or maybe you’ve even planted at tree during Canadian Environment Week, June 3-9. Waste Reduction Week October 15th – 21st is another attempt at focusing citizen’s attention on an important aspect of our culture by trying to get them to make personal changes or to start taking action.
Waste Reduction Week website and their community partners provide resources and contacts for communities, schools and businesses that seek to minimize waste and/or begin conservation initiatives. The Waste Reduction Week website has a wealth of ideas, activities, an events listing, and an opportunity for municipalities to proclaim Waste Reduction Week.
Here are just a few examples of actions we all can take:
- Conduct a waste audit in your home. See the Waste Reduction Week website for a template.
- Calgary businesses can contact the Calgary Materials Exchange for a free Visual Waste Assessment.
- Start a recycling program in your home, office or school.
- Organize a community cleanup or recycling round up.
- Commit to one week of litterless lunches for you and your family.
- Start composting, the Waste Reduction Week website provides plans for making your own composter, alternately the Clean Calgary Association EcoStore sells Earth Machine composters for $25.00 year round.
These are fun and interesting ways to get your coworkers, neighbours, classmates interested and involved. If you need help with any of these ideas visit the website: www.wrwcanada.com or contact Clean Calgary Association.
Waste Factoids
- By the age of 6 months the average Canadian has consumed the same amount of resources as the average person in the developing world consumes in a lifetime. Source: Recycling Council of Alberta
- In a lifetime, the average North American will throw away 600 times his or her weight in garbage. A 66kg adult will leave a legacy of 40,425kg of trash. Source: Natural Resources Canada
- Recycling all of your homes waste newsprint, cardboard, glass and metal can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 400kg per year. Source: Earth Care
Leaf and Pumpkin Recycling in Calgary
For residents that are unable to compost their leaves and pumpkins at home, the City of Calgary offers a free leaf and pumpkin recycling program that runs from September 22nd to November 11th, 2007. Simply take leaves and pumpkins to any of the seasonal leaf and pumpkin drop-off locations throughout Calgary. For a map and list of drop-off locations click here. All City of Calgary landfills accept leaves and pumpkins free of charge from Calgarians year round.
For residents wanting to backyard compost Clean Calgary Association sells City of Calgary subsidized compost bins to Calgarians for $25. These bins are available year round and fall/winter is an excellent time to begin composting. Clean Calgary also offers composting workshops to help people get started. For more information please call 230-1443 ext 225 or email jen@cleancalgary.org.
Ask Ashley - All Charged Up
Q:
Dear Ashley,
I’ve seen that people can recycle rechargeable batteries around Calgary but I’m wondering why disposable batteries aren’t being accepted. Are they not toxic as well? Is there another program in Calgary that allows for disposable batteries to be recycled?
Best Regards,
Leon
A:
Hello Leon,
With the rapid rise of portable electronics, the number of consumer batteries discarded is dramatically increasing. Environment Canada’s Canadian Consumer Baseline Study estimates that 450 million (15,182 tonnes) consumer batteries were sold in Canada in 1994, with the number expected to climb to 659 million by 2010. The sheer number of batteries entering the waste stream has driven some governments to regulate the industry and implement programs to reduce the hazards to human health resulting from improper disposal.
Europe’s Council Directive on Batteries led the charge on the proper recovery, treatment and disposal of batteries in 1991, but it was the U.S.’s Battery Act in 1996 that changed the way North American’s dealt with batteries. The US Battery Act called for the phase out of mercury-based household batteries - the AA's, AAA's, C's, D's, and 9-volts that people use in flashlights, remote controls and fire alarms - and set up the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), which was tasked with managing a collection and recycling program for rechargeable batteries. The mercury phase out has made single-use batteries safe enough to put in the regular trash and the RBRC program targeted rechargeable batteries as most contain cadmium or lead, both of which are highly toxic. To date, Canada has not initiated legislative or producer responsibility programs targeting batteries, however, the US Battery Act has driven developments in a number of Canadian provinces.
The RBRC program, named Call2Recycle, is one example of this spillover and it is, to date, Canada’s only national battery recycling program. The program accepts Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Small Sealed Lead (Pb) rechargeable batteries at a large number of Canadian retailers, including some 80 locations in Calgary. Although widely available, Canadians recycled less than 2% of rechargeable batteries in 2004. This is problematic because, unlike the mercury-free single-use batteries, rechargeable batteries are laden with dangerous heavy metals. Canada-wide, 766 tonnes of Lead, 235 tonnes of Cadmium and 386 tonnes of nickel were discharged from batteries in 2004. It is obvious that more effort and prudence is needed to ensure that rechargeable batteries are being recycled so as to protect our soil and water quality, while also stemming the loss of valuable metals.
This loss of valuable non-renewable metals has driven some governments to institute recycling programs for single-use batteries. One program that has achieved tremendous results is the Re-Store Your Batteries program, initiated by Prince Edward Island’s Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC). The program which was set up on July 1st, 2005 was a partnership between IWMC and local grocery stores to give residents a convenient no cost recycling option. To date the program has recycled roughly 24,000 kgs of single-use batteries collected from residents. In Calgary, though, the picture isn’t quite so rosy. In fact, the City’s 3-1-1 information line and its website recommend that single-use batteries be disposed of with the regular household garbage. But Calgarians need not despair; both Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) and Ikea have set up take back programs so that customers have the option of bringing their single-use batteries back to the stores for recycling. Now that’s service!
So it seems that Calgarians do have several recycling options for recycling batteries but in the absence of a well established municipal recycling program for single-use batteries, I (and the City of Calgary) would encourage residents to use rechargeable batteries. Not only are rechargeables widely recyclable, they’ll also save you a lot of money. With a good set (4) of rechargeable batteries enduring nearly 1000 charges they’ll set you back less than $50. To get 4000 cycles from single-use batteries you’d have to dish over $4000. Using a dozen batteries or so every year would make a set of rechargeables well worth the investment.
Finally, Canadians have proven themselves to be great hoarders of recyclables, with 60% of Canadians claiming to hold onto spent batteries for five or more years. With this it should be mentioned that there is one caveat regarding tossing old single-use batteries in the trash. Those that were manufactured prior to 1996, when the mercury phase-out began, should be handled with care as they will, in all likelihood, contain mercury. These batteries should definitely be recycled.
So with less than 2% of all batteries being recycled it should behoove us to make sure batteries, especially rechargeable batteries, are being recycled. Not only will we be saving thousands of tonnes of valuable metals from going to waste, we will also be saving our water and soil from becoming contaminated.
Fully charged,
Ashley
Ashley Lubyk, BSC in Environmental Science, is a Calgary Materials Exchange Program Assistant at Clean Calgary Association.
Please send your question concerning Water, Waste, or Recycling to Ashley Lubyk
Waste Wise One Year Later
The Waste Wise Community Outreach Program recently completed one year. In the past year, the program helped over 80 families start composting; providing them with the supplies and mentorship to reduce their household waste and turn their kitchen scraps and yard waste into a valuable and healthy soil amendment.
Shirley Klukas and her husband joined Waste Wise recently and have already noticed the difference. “We are more aware of what we are throwing away”, explains Shirley, adding that their garbage has gone from 2-3 bags to one. “It has also made us more aware of recycling, not just newspapers which we have always done, but now glass and cans. It's amazing how much of these things a person uses”, said Shirley.
Ruth Herema was one of the first to join Waste Wise and she has been composting for about a year now. Ruth explains, “I was raised in a composting family, so for me this is a return to something obviously good. I have appreciated Karen (Waste Wise Program Coordinator) immensely, because she has been a catalyst for me to get back to some honest and real habits. I have become more careful with all of the recycling, and more thoughtful about living with integrity in the myriad of everyday choices we all have.
Composting isn't difficult. What is difficult is to find enough hope to believe that what we do in our own backyard matters. It is difficult to trust that we humans have not already gone past the point of no return on our relentless path of destruction. It is difficult to not be overwhelmed by the bad news about our planet's health.
Being part of this project has reminded me viscerally that doing what is right in the little unseen choices helps to keep cynicism at bay. As I got into the habit of composting again, I found I was being more vigilant about recycling. The attention to recycling made me much more careful about what I brought into the house to begin with. This encouraged me to learn more about how to live responsibly in the details of the day. I have tossed ideas around with my children, and we are slowly and steadily changing old habits.
Our garbage volume is about one third of what it was. Karen has always been wonderfully available for any and all questions. More important than her knowledge is her wisdom in knowing that most people need to feel that they're part of a larger working community. As we light a candle against the darkness, we need the encouragement of seeing our neighbors' candles burning as well”.
If you and your family would like to join our Waste Wise Community Outreach Program please call Karen at 998.8846 or send an email to karen@cleancalgary.org
Waste Wise Community Outreach Program is generously sponsored by Alberta Ecotrust; The City of Calgary; Shell Environmental Fund; Grassroots NW; Lewis William Goss; and Calgary Dollars.
Just for Jack Gift Pack Have Arrived at the EcoStore!
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Reusable Container
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Hands Salve, Achin’Body Muscle Rub, Hand & Body Wash.
Price: $31.00
EcoStore – 809 4th Ave SW – 230.1443 ext. 222.
We are open Wed, Fri and Sat 10am – 4pm and Thu 10am – 7pm.
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