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2004

 

• Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation
• Waste Management of Canada Corp.
• The City of Calgary
• The City of Edmonton
• Alberta Environment
• Environment and Plastics Industry Council
• Alberta Plastics Recycling Association

• The Edmonton Community Network is holding its 2nd Annual E-Swapmeet. They are hosting a breakfast at 7 am, seminars throughout the day and dinner theatre at 9 pm. Check details at ecn.ab.ca.

All Week Events:
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• Jasper Elementary School students will spend the week learning about waste reduction and other environmental topics. Grade 4 students will do a home waste audit and report their findings on the same day they visit the local transfer station.
• Municipality departments will receive daily informative e-mails about waste reduction.
• Local Jasper newspaper will have a feature article about waste reduction in Jasper.
• Alberta bottle depots are encouraged by ABCRC to participate in a contest to increase community knowledge, activity and awareness of bottle depots and the beverage container recycling system. Publicity around the contest will occur throughout the week.
• Edmonton Catholic Schools:
  1. Anne Fitzgerald School currently has a “mini-landfill” running at the back of the grade 4 classroom (in the form of a large box) so that students can see for one week how much garbage they actually throw out. Only non-perishables are thrown in the mini-landfill. Students are then made aware of how much garbage can be recycled and they are encouraged to recycle as much as possible. Their recycling efforts are part of what has earned them “Emerald” status as an environmentally green school.
  2. In conjunction with “Waste Reduction Week” (October 18-24), a new initiative will be launched at St. Benedict. A “Litterless Lunch” program will be set up which basically aims at keeping school lunch waste to a minimum. This program will provide an excellent opportunity to apply learning to everyday life.
  3. Grandin School has several initiatives happening next week that will continue on throughout the year. They are collecting pop can tabs and donating them to the Tabs 4 Wheels program; they recycle juice boxes and bottles and are tracking the amount recycled through ABCRC’s website; they separate and recycle paper.
  4. St. Timothy School has a Green Team which is promoting the recycling of juice boxes. The school also uses scrap (previously used) paper in their fax machine. Next week during Waste Reduction Week the school will be making daily “Green Facts” announcements on the PA.
  5. St. Elizabeth Seton Elementary/Junior High School has 49 grade 4 students who have taken on the challenge of becoming the Recycling Club Leaders in their school. During lunch hour they collect juice boxes and drink containers, keeping a running count of the number of containers collected and displaying the results on the hallway bulletin board. The money raised from this project, which started at the beginning of the year, will be donated to a Canadian environmental organization to be determined at a later date. So far they have collected 1361 containers. During Waste Reduction Week, the Recycling Club Leaders will be increasing their efforts to collect more containers for their project.
  6. St. Jerome School believes in being good stewards of their environment. The Recycling grade four leaders have been touring classes, observing how well each class is doing with recycling. They have collected data, and will be graphing their results and sharing their learning with the school community. The Composting grade four leaders are working with red wiggler worms. They are preparing composting bins for all the classes and will be teaching other students what can and cannot be composted.
  7. The staff and students of St. Gabriel School have a paper recycle bin in every classroom, office, staff room and workroom. The grade 4 students will be collecting the paper on Thursday in support of Waste Reduction Week. The EE 1 program is involved too, collecting juice boxes and cans.
  8. The grade 4 students at Good Shepherd School are very active leaders in promoting waste reduction on a school-wide level. One class has implemented a daily collection of recyclable beverage containers, the funds of which will be used to adopt an animal at the Valley Zoo. They also collect can tabs for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The other grade 4 class is working towards the designation of Earth school by having all schools participate in various recycling activities from reusing both sides of paper to litterless lunches once a week to reducing power consumption. Both of these classes generally make the school population more environmentally aware and will be making special efforts to promote waste reduction during the upcoming Waste Reduction Week.
  9. Edmonton Catholic Schools Printing Department practices waste reduction throughout the year. Paper packaging is saved and reused when shipping orders out to the schools. Scratch pads are made out of good-one-side paper from rejected print jobs. During Waste Reduction Week, our Printing Department will be giving free scratch pads out to the schools.
• The Municipal District of Rocky View is holding Household Hazardous Waste Round-Ups. Unveiling of new mascot: Hawksley the Hawk to spread the message about "Keeping the view in Rocky View".
• The Lesser Slave Lake Recycling Committee has sponsored a booth at Sawridge Plaza Mall, giving out notepads and conducting a survey to evaluate our two year old recycling program. Landfill Manager Jule Asterisk will be making presentations at local schools and a growing number of other groups regarding waste reduction, diversion and recycling.
• Pick up of yard/garden wastes (compostables) from all Town of Ponoka residences from Oct 12-22, 2004. Town equipment and employees will do a complete pick-up of these items and will compost at Town-owned facility.
• Fall Special - Household Hazardous Waste Roundup in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

2004 WRW Themes, Activities & Alberta Events:

Monday, October 18th
"Home"
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For most of us, our home is the place that we like to spend most of our time: eating, playing, relaxing…  As a result, a large percentage of the waste that each Canadian creates, approximately 50-60%, is produced at home. Here are some simple things that we can do to reduce household consumption and the amount of energy that we waste:

• Make a “no junk mail” sign and put it on your mailbox
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposables
• Only cook the amount of food that you are prepared to eat
• Replace disposable coffee filters with a reusable one
• Think about whether you can reuse an item before you throw it away. You may be able to give it to a charity, such as Good Will.
• Turn off water when brushing your teeth
• Fix a leaking toilet or faucet
• Turn off all lights and appliances when they are not in use
• Use a programmable thermostat to regulate your furnace
• Compost kitchen scraps

Alberta events on Monday (visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event):

• The Electronic Recycling Association of Alberta is offering free collection of used electronics for Alberta companies. Also collecting electronics from the public, free-of-charge.
• Mackenzie Lake School has a Green School Club that promotes recycling. They will be holding a recycling fair and Grade 3 and 4 students must make projects from used items
• Grade 4 students at Tilley School will be responsible for collecting school waste and recycling or composting it. They are making posters to educate about recycling and will have wasteless lunches all week.
• The Town of Cochrane Recycling Depot will be handing out green boxes and hosting recycling tours during WRW.

Tuesday, October 19th
"Travel"
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Canadians are hugely dependant on automobiles, which are the world’s largest source of pollution. If we used cars less often, we would be able to conserve oil, a natural resource, and we would require less space for roads and parking lots. We can protect the environment by driving less and switching to cleaner, renewable sources of fuel. There are many alternatives to single occupant car travel, including:

• Take public transportation, walk, ride a bike, or roller-blade to work or school
• Carpool with colleagues or school friends
• Join a car co-op or “carshare” group to gain occasional access to a vehicle 

If you must drive a car, keep it in good shape to increase fuel economy and reduce air pollution:

• Maintain your vehicle and get regular tune-ups
• Check your tire pressure often as under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption. Also, maintaining your tires will mean that you have to purchase new ones less often
• Turn off your vehicle when you are waiting – idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine
• Only use your air conditioner when it is absolutely necessary

Alberta events on Tuesday (visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event)

• Calgary - Media are invited for 9 am to Rundle College Elementary School (2634-12 Ave NW) for one hour, where representatives from Maxus Technology will teach grade four students about the benefits of ensuring electronic products are recycled. In addition, parents, teachers and students at Rundle College Elementary are being invited to bring in their eWaste to Rundle College for recycling during Waste Reduction Week for recycling by Maxus Technology.

Wednesday, October 20th
"Work" 
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Commercial and Industrial sources within a municipality can often produce more waste than all of the households combined. However, businesses can make choices that have less of an impact on the environment, such as purchasing recycled paper for an office, while saving time and money! Also, by making green choices and providing products that are environmentally friendly, businesses can inspire the public to reduce waste. There are many ways that a business can become less wasteful:

• Set up an office “Green Team” to monitor the amount of waste being produced by employees
• Conduct a waste assessment to make sure your business meets international waste standards
• Cut down on paper use by using e-mail, double-sided photocopying and using bulletin boards instead of handing out copies of reports
• Purchase environmentally preferable products and patronize businesses that use environmentally friendly materials
• Buy energy efficient appliances
• Switch to energy efficient fluorescent or halogen lighting
• Set up a waste exchange with other businesses; one company’s waste may be useful to another company

Alberta events on Wednesday (visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event)

• Free vermi-composting workshop at Mountain Equipment Co-op. 7 p.m. Call (780)488-6614 or visit the Member Services desk to sign up.
• The employees of the Harry Hayes Building in Calgary will be having their annual Waste Expo for Waste Reduction Week where various different waste reduction efforts will be profiled.

Thursday, October 21st
"School"
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The lessons that kids learn in school can stay with them for a lifetime, so that makes it a great place to teach kids about the importance of reducing waste. By setting up composting and recycling programs in the classroom children are more likely to carry these practices into their homes. Waste is created in many areas throughout a school and, therefore, kids can be exposed to a number of ways to reduce the waste that they produce.

• In the cafeteria, use reusable trays, utensils and dishes
• Serve appropriate portion sizes to minimize food waste
• Turn off the lights when a classroom is empty and on bright, sunny days
• Turn off computers and other electrical equipment when not in use
• Post signs in bathrooms asking students to turn off taps when they are finished washing their hands
• In the staff room, ask teachers to bring reusable coffee cups
• Encourage students to pack lunches in a reusable bag, to use resealable containers for sandwiches and snacks and a thermos for drinks
• Hold a “waste-free” lunch day to celebrate Waste Reduction Week
• Set up a vermicomposter (wriggler worms) in the classroom
• Reuse used paper as scraps for art projects

Alberta events on Thursday (visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event)

• EPIC, APRA and Waste Management are holding a reused materials soap box challenge at Mount Royal College Science and Technology Faculty. Students from the faculty have built a soap box car out of reused materials. They will present their design to a panel of judges.
• Medicine Hat - Alberta’s Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Lorne Taylor, will join Maxus Technology in teaching Grade 4 students at Conaught Elementary School (101-8th Street SW in Medicine Hat) about electronics and eWaste Recycling. The event will feature hands-on activities for the kids including being able to see what’s inside a computer and what parts are toxic. Event time: TBA (most likely 2:00pm). Media are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes prior.
• Midway Community School in Didsbury is seting up a recycling depot at the school and encourages students and teachers to conserve resources by e.g. shuting off lights when not needed, reusing paper and using reusable lunch kits and containers.
• Mary Hanley School in Edmonton has an on-going beverage Tetra Pak and soda tin collection. They are also donating money to the library for environmental theme books, running a Green Club to educate students to develop responsibility for the environment and as an activity, students are making bird feeders from recycled objects.

Friday, October 22nd
"Play" 
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There are many different ways to enjoy our free time, from visiting a national park to participating in a sporting event. However, no matter how and where we play we should always think about the effects that our activities have on the environment. Even during our leisure activities there are ways to cut down on over-consumption and reduce waste. Here are some suggestions:

• Consider taking part in clean activities, such as wind-surfing, snow-shoeing and mountain climbing. All of these activities require non-motorized equipment.
• When you are traveling consider destinations that are not over-crowded or over-developed and seek out environmentally-sensitive accommodations.
• When you have reached your holiday destination select tour operators and guides who are aware of environmental impacts.
• Purchase used sporting equipment from sports swap shops and donate your old sporting goods to schools and community yard sales.
• Use school and office scraps for craft projects.
• When giving gifts consider making something meaningful, such as homemade treats or a hand-drawn card rather than purchasing something new that may eventually be thrown away.

Alberta events on Friday (visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event):            

• Techno Trash Alberta is holding an electronic waste round-up in Calgary on October 22 and 23.

Saturday, October 23rd
"Shopping" 
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Each product that we buy affects the environment at each stage of its lifecycle. By considering the impact of a product on the environment before we purchase it we have a chance to prevent the accumulation of waste before it even begins. The next time you go shopping think about the following:

• Buy only what you need.
• For every new item you buy, you must decide how you will eventually dispose of it.
• We often pay for the packaging around a product so purchase items that have little or no packaging.
• Buy items in bulk to reduce packaging waste.Split large purchases with friends and family.
• Choose organic foods that are grown without pesticides and use fewer resources and energy.
• Look for products that are environmentally friendly, such as cleaning products that do not contain chemicals that will pollute the environment.
• Buy local products since transportation consumes fossil fuels that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Choose items with packaging that has been recycled and/or is recyclable.

Alberta events on Saturday (please visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event):

• Calgary Co-op is doubling its “Bags to Riches” refund. Customers will receive 6 cents rather than 3 cents for each bag that they bring in to reuse while shopping.
• Devon’s new recycling centre is having its Grand Opening. Cookies and coffee will be available throughout the day for anyone who is interested in their new facility. The town has also teamed up with Maxus Technology to round up eWaste that day. Drop off your old electronics from 10 am to 4 pm at the recycling centre.

Sunday, October 24th
"Community" 
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Each one of use can have a positive impact on the environment when we make an effort to reduce the amount of waste that we produce, so just imagine what a whole community can achieve if it takes part in a waste reducing activity. There are lots of ways that your town or city can become involved in Waste Reduction Week:

• Organize a waste reduction challenge between municipalities, schools or office departments to determine who can produce the least amount of waste.
• Hold second-hand swaps or sales of used sporting equipment, books, clothing, and other household items.
• Organize a community litter cleanup at a park or school ground.
• Distribute composters, rain barrels and recycling bins to members of the community.
• Inform the local media that it is Waste Reduction Week and suggest ways for people to participate.
• Urge your municipality to proclaim Waste Reduction Week by filling out the form on the Recycling Council of Alberta’s WRW web page.

Alberta events on Sunday - please visit www.wrwcanada.com to register your event.

For more information on the Recycling Council of Alberta's involvement in Waste Reduction Week email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .