edmonton – Waste Free Edmonton

May 11, 2023May 9, 2023

Yard Waste or Yard Resource? Managing Yards in Edmonton

According to the calendar, spring began on March 20. According to our waste collection calendar, spring started on April 2, as food scraps carts can be set out every week. The next few months are busy for Edmontonians as we prepare our yards and gardens for the growing season. The City steps in to help you deal with your yard waste in a few different ways. But what do those solutions look like, and are there other options?

WHAT IS YARD WASTE AND WHAT HAPPENS TO IT?

Many people reading this article might argue that yard waste isn’t waste at all. It is a valuable resource that provides our yards and gardens with a source of nutrients.

The most basic definition of yard waste is the one that probably comes to the front of your mind when you hear the phrase. It includes such items as: branches, leaves, fallen fruit, grass, and other plant material from your garden. The City’s definition for collection does not include kitchen or animal waste, tree stumps or trunks. There are other means of disposing of those items, which we will get to later.

Yard waste is picked up twice in the spring (and twice in the fall) on a designated Monday. Download the WasteWise app or refer to your printed calendar for your neighbourhood’s dates. This separate collection of yard waste four times a year allows the city “to create clean, high-quality compost, while keeping more waste out of the landfill” (source). This compost is available for residents to pick up for free from the Ambleside and Kennedale Eco Stations starting in May.

If you choose to put your yard waste into your backyard compost bin, or have a dedicated area in your backyard to allow it to break down you can provide a welcome habitat to beneficial insects, birds, and other animals. It’s also important to remember to give those insects some extra time to wake up and embrace spring before you collect the leaves and branches for disposal (source).

WHY BOTHER SORTING OUR YARD WASTE?

Sorting our yard material into a separate stream allows for many benefits to be reaped by Edmontonians and our environment. “Landfills emit greenhouse gases from the anaerobic decomposition of biodegradable waste” (source). These greenhouse gases are a concern because they contribute to the overall warming of our planet, which in turn has a cascading effect on all of Earth’s systems, and can lead to “extreme weather, wildfires, droughts and food supply disruptions” (source) All of which has an outsized effect on us. Diverting food and yard waste prevents these harmful emissions, frees up landfill space for non-recyclable material, and extends the lifespan of our landfill.

There are added financial benefits of composting, such as reduced landfilling costs and generating income by selling the finished material (source). And when considered in the lens of a circular system, it makes no sense to throw away nutrient rich plant matter when we can compost it and continue to access those benefits, instead of locking them away in a landfill. For example, this high quality finished product is available to all Edmontonians free of charge. There are currently no size limitations on the amount of compost you can collect at the Ambleside and Kennedale Eco Stations. The financial incentive isn’t just for municipalities and businesses either. By using compost created by yard waste, you won’t have to buy expensive fertilizers or soil additives for your own yard or garden.

HOW TO SORT OUR YARD WASTE

Sorting your yard waste properly for collection takes a bit of time, but it’s well worth the effort. It’s important that we sort our yard waste appropriately because it is collected by hand. Safety of the great humans who do our waste collection must be kept top of mind. The City has a great list of tips here to help you sort your yard waste properly if you are putting it out for spring collection. See-through plastic or double-ply paper bags are the only types of bags accepted. For sticks and branches, they must be tied in bundles less than 1.2 metres and 0.75 metres in diameter. Please ensure that everything is secured tightly. There is no bag or bundle limit.

If you have some of those items mentioned above that cannot go in the yard waste collection – kitchen waste, tree stumps – there are still alternatives for safe disposal. Tree stumps and trunks can be disposed of at any Edmonton Eco Station throughout the season. And Eco Stations always accept residential yard waste if you don’t want to wait for your collection day – here is a list of locations. Animal waste and kitchen waste should go into your food scraps cart (unless otherwise indicated). And general yard waste items can go into your food scraps cart at any point during the season, as long as it fits those collection guidelines (size, for example). If placed in your food scraps cart, it will only be collected on normal collection days.

HOW DOES EDMONTON COMPARE TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES

Edmonton’s current solution to yard waste works for us now. But are there better ideas out there? We looked at how other municipalities in Canada manage yard waste, and how Edmonton’s process compares. Our rival neighbour to the south has a similar system to ours, making use of both a food scraps cart and bags, however Calgary reserves the right to not collect all the bags you have left out if it is excessive (source). Red Deer once again has a similar system to Edmonton, however, they do not allow plastic bags as they are not compostable (source). The Government of Alberta Yard Waste Diversion Committee’s recommendations for reducing leaf and yard waste in Alberta might explain a lot of the similarities in the yard waste collection within Alberta municipalities. Size, climate, and current waste management systems also play a large role. Regina does not have curbside organics collection, so they instead operate a yard waste depot that is open spring through fall where residents can drop off leaves free of charge (source). Even farther east, we have Halifax where there are additional green cart pickup days starting in July (source). Residents can leave yard waste like leaves and branches out on collection day, but the City will not collect grass clippings and instead recommends you grasscycle those while mowing. Finally, we looked at Vancouver, whose “seasonal leaf collection program” runs from autumn into January. Otherwise you can put leaves into your Green Bin year round (source).

With this cursory exploration, we see that Edmonton is not an outlier in how our city manages the yard waste generated by residential households. While there is probably more we could be doing – both as a city and as residents – we have at least taken the important step in addressing the importance of sorting and separately managing our yard waste. Who knows what the future will bring with new technologies, new knowledge, citizen-led action paving the way for better solutions.

LET’S KEEP TALKING

We have all seen the house with two dozen orange plastic bags at the end of their driveway in the spring. Or the black bin overflowing with grass clippings. Why might people not put their yard waste into their food scraps cart? It is often a lack of knowledge or information about the yard waste program in edmonton. Many people might experience other barriers to adding their yard waste to their food scraps cart, such as mobility or accessibility concerns while navigating heavy materials up into the bin. We must strive to understand the barriers to folks not composting their yard waste, or not leaving their grass clippings on their lawn after mowing so we can continue the education in the right direction and get more people on board with this valued program. Beyond the education component is a culture shift. People must not only understand the importance of composting these materials, but also buy into a market for designing lower waste yardscapes and purchasing the products that are the end result of a yard waste compost program (source).

It’s important that we all start thinking of yard waste not only as a part of a waste cycle, but as a resource as well. So that “the negative environmental impacts of its disposal in landfills will be reduced or eliminated” (source). The more we talk with our neighbours and community about our yard waste, the more we can normalize alternatives to lawns and monocultures.

TAKE ACTION

We can all do our parts in ensuring that natural materials from our yards are sorted properly for pickup from the City of Edmonton. But here are some ideas if you want to make better use of this excellent resource!

Low effort:

Leave your grass clippings in place after you mow (More info on grasscycling here)
Use the high quality compost produced by the City from our yard waste

Mid effort:

Add your yard waste to your own backyard compost bin or to a separate spot in your yard to break down on its own and provide habitat to birds and bugs

Max effort:

Build a hugelkultur bed using twigs and branches
Change the landscaping design of your yard to feature less grass and more native species

What To Know About The New Waste Bylaw

Edmonton’s City Council unanimously passed a bylaw in February 2023 that will have a large impact on how our city manages their waste. This post is going to focus on two main parts of that bylaw: communal collections and bin liners.

Many apartment dwellers have been asking for this since the first green cart hit the curb many years ago saying, “when will it be our turn?” Starting in fall 2023 and continuing until 2027 their turn is here. Impacting approximately 167,000 households, multi-family dwellings will now be included in the organics collection program that single family homes have been using since 2021. “Increasing the separate collection of food scraps and recyclables will help keep more waste out of the landfill and reduce emissions,” the city said in a news release. There was a 30% reduction of waste in the garbage stream after the City completed its switch to the current system for single-family residential. It is unclear what their estimates are for the drop once the multi-family program is in action, but we could see another significant drop in the non-organic waste stream. While the exact logistics of this collection strategy remain to be seen, the City promises to work with building owners to ensure the collection can be accommodated. Apartment and condo dwellers can look forward to their own food scraps collection in the months and years to come.

In terms of bin liners, the city previously required compostable liners labeled BPI or BNQ-certified. This bylaw now permits any type of bin liner to be used in the green cart, of any material. According to the City, the compostable bag liners folks may have previously been using were being thrown into the garbage after food scraps were emptied. Our facility in Edmonton cannot completely compost the certified compostable bags, so if the bags weren’t removed they would contaminate the finished compost material with microplastics and potentially toxic chemicals. Compostable plastics are largely a myth. Compostable plastics are also known as bio-plastics or biodegradable plastic. Each of these are composed of different base materials, or have different properties, and they are scientifically not interchangeable (source). The confusion between the three as far as the general public is concerned, and the “greenwashing” that comes into play in their existence creates problems for composting initiatives like ours in Edmonton. The false promises of compostable plastics also hide a heavy carbon footprint and toxic chemicals (source), both of which negate the benefit of an organics program. When makers of BPI compostable bags advertise that they can break down in municipal composting facilities, they don’t necessarily mean your municipality’s facility. Most of these types of plastics can only break down in a high heat industrial composting facility, far hotter than those which most cities or towns operate.

Under the previous bylaw, and continuing under the new one, liners made from paper are composted alongside the contents of the green bin. Moving forward, liners made of any other material of bag will be removed from the organics waste stream and put in with the general landfill waste. The best solution is to skip liners completely, but if you feel you must use one, try and reuse a bag you already have – in paper if possible – before buying new, single-use plastic bags. The City of Edmonton has already demonstrated their focus on reducing single-use plastics in food service with Bylaw 20117, set to take effect this July (source). It would be a significant step for them to amend the Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw to require residents to forgo plastic liners, but we know that Edmontonians are still adjusting to the green carts program. Perhaps we can look forward to that addition in the future. For now, we can continue educating friends and family on the merits of going bagless, or help them find creative ways to use (limited) paper or cardboard to line their bins!

Many articles that present this new bylaw mention the City of Edmonton’s climate goals, but what are those goals specifically and how do these new measures – bin liners, communal composting, and single use item reduction – fit into those goals? For one, the City aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, and yet is already set to blow past that timeline (source). A variety of environmental programs are guided by EcoVision “the city’s vision for environmental sustainability” (source) and The Way We Green, which is Edmonton’s environmental strategic plan. Specifically, the new bylaw focuses on the concern that the “residential sector is responsible for about 40% of all solid waste generated in Edmonton” (source), and addresses how to reduce waste and also divert it from going to landfill.

The city declared a climate emergency 3 years ago (source), and has set ambitious goals and targets to reflect this status. How do you see these changes to our waste collection impacting our mitigation or adaptation to the climate emergency? How are these actions going to help Edmonton and Edmontonians get through this emergency? We may not have the answers to these questions today, but they provide some “food for thought”, and can guide our response to the new bylaw and its impact on our day-to-day lives.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Food scraps collection coming to Edmonton apartments and condos (Global News)

Edmonton apartments and condos to have separate food scraps collection (CTV News)

Food waste: what, why and how to stop it (Waste Free Edmonton)

City of Edmonton:

Bylaw 20363

Edmonton’s Strategic Vision – 2019 to 2028

Community Energy Transition Strategy

Single Use Items

Change for Climate

The Way We Green Speaker Series

Biodegradable Plastic Problems (BioPak)The False Promise Of Bioplastics and Compostable Plastics (Beyond Plastics)

October 17, 2022October 18, 2022

A Straight Line to a Circular Economy

“Climate change is not the problem. Climate change is the most horrible symptom of an economic system that has been built for a few to extract every precious ounce of value out of this planet and its people, from our natural resources to the fruits of our human labour. This system has created this crisis.”
Colette Pichon Battle. “An Offering the From the Bayou.” All We Can Save: Truth Courage And Solutions For The Climate Crisis. Edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson.

Waste Reduction Week Canada has extended from one week in October to the entire month, with a dedicated focus on the circular economy. The concept of a circular economy has been around for over 10 years, but the vocabulary is just starting to make its way into the general public. There are many governments and businesses advocating for a turn to the circular economy. But there are also many climate justice workers and academics that are sounding the alarm about the pitfalls and problems associated with it. In this article we will define the circular economy and then explore some of its benefits, barriers to implementation, and problems identified with it. Then list some actions you can take in your communities to help work toward a just transition.

Even if you have never heard the term “circular economy”, you can probably start to imagine a basic definition, especially when applied to the climate crisis. As defined by Waste Reduction Week Canada, circularity “incorporates better design that consumes less raw material during production, maximizes value during use, and improves products and services that are intended to eliminate wastes.” (Source) At its core, the circular economy is an economic framework that is meant to be overlaid with our current economic system. It replaces the linear model of product generation which creates products that have a limited lifespan before becoming waste. Recognizing that there are limited resources on our planet, a circular economy attempts to make the best use of those resources, while positively impacting business growth. It aims to do so with a focus placed on sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products. (Source)

In a circular economy more attention is paid to everything that goes into the cycle (like materials and energy), to ensure that as little as possible comes out as waste. As advertised, some of its benefits would include:

Manufactured items will last longer
Eliminating planned obsolescence
Prioritizing access over ownership
Creating items that are easier to repair
Less greenhouse gas production and less waste in general

Of course this is only a short list, and there are as many advertised benefits as there are cities and companies working toward full implementation of a circular economy! As with any economic based solution to humanity’s current crisis, there are also strong voices addressing the barriers and speaking out against the implementation of a circular economy as it is currently defined.

Libraries and book exchanges are familiar examples of circular economies.

CRITICISMS OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

As politicians, business, and researchers advocate for moving to a circular economy, there are other voices engaging in critical discourse around these purported benefits. Concerns raised include barriers to a full implementation of a circular economy, missed opportunities, and holes that could prevent us from reaching our full potential as humans and not just as consumers.

A core building block of the CE is the recyclability and reuse of products and materials. Unfortunately, some recycled materials degrade faster the more times they are recycled and many hazardous materials cannot be safely recycled or reused at all. (Source) How can we balance our goals of sustainability with the reality of the products we rely on to achieve those goals?

Reuse and recycle is a subject that is easy to simplify for regular folks to understand, while remaining complex at its root. The same can be said for jobs. We hear news everyday about job losses and gains, and we have seen first hand during the pandemic how unstable many of our traditional jobs are. The reason for job losses is always blamed on “the economy”. But how can we use a new economic framework to ensure that we have quality, local jobs. The circular economy does mention job creation, but unfortunately fails to demand good jobs, or mandate that they be created locally using culturally appropriate technologies (Source). In fact, there are many opportunities for job creation while transitioning to a circular economy. Much of the technology and infrastructure we will require to recycle and repurpose materials has not reached the scale demanded of the speed we must be moving to reach our climate goals. The current lack of infrastructure in many communities poses a problem to full implementation of a circular economy (source), but offers great opportunities to create long-term, good, local jobs. This must be addressed head on when building out the circular economy standards. In fact, there is not yet any international recognized standardisation with regards to circularity performance (source), another point made by critics.

These standards must include social justice and social equity, and the writing on circular economy implementation does not reflect that. In fact, many examples of the ways governments can enact a circular economy do not mention social equity or social justice at all. They are primarily focused on environmental and business outcomes. If we want there to be social equity in our new economic system we must name it, and demand it. We cannot assume that it will just materialize while we work on our waste reduction goals. Failing this, we will continue to see “abuses of power, unhealthy or unfair labour and living conditions or a disrespect of human rights” (Source)

Doughnut Economics offers an alternative to a circular economy that has those social factors built directly into the framework. Where the circular economy focused on the lifecycle of products, Kate Rawroth’s playful Doughnut directly names social and planetary boundaries, and “acts as a compass for human progress this century”. (Source) This framework is already in play in many municipalities around the world to the great benefit of those citizens and residents.

While there are many concerns to implementing a circular economy worldwide – or even in our communities – there are many benefits offered as well. Currently, the circular economy offers an interesting framework for improving environmental and business sustainability, but lacks strength in the social field. If governments around the world continue to push for a circular economy, we will need to overcome the barriers to implementation, balance the environmental and business objectives, and more clearly define the social demands. And prioritize those. There are sustainable solutions offered within other frameworks – like the Doughnut Economy – and many researchers working on balancing the circular economy. While we work toward reducing humanity’s negative impact toward our continued survival, we will need to take advantage of all the tools available. Perhaps the final solution will involve the great parts of the circular economy working alongside other ideas. And will facilitate all of humanity working together to ensure we achieve sustainable – and equitable – futures for everyone.

Thrifting is a great example or circularity – does the world need more spoons?

TAKE ACTION

Here at Waste Free Edmonton, we have focused our attention on local waste reduction efforts. And lately, the City of Edmonton has taken some steps toward implementing a circular economy (Single Use Item Bylaw). Here are some actions you can take at home and as a citizen, keeping in mind that choices aren’t easy to make for some families. The symptoms of climate change cannot be fixed on the individual level, which is why we need systems change to make sure everyone has equal access to those choices.

SHARE this pdf explaining Edmonton’s Single Use Item Bylaw with friends, family and coworkers in Edmonton. Discuss why you are excited about the bylaw, and which aspects might be difficult for others in our community.

SEND an email to your Member of Parliament sharing why you are in favour of going beyond a “plastics ban” and implementing a nation wide single use item ban.

ASK your manager what your company is doing to eliminate waste throughout all internal processes. (Or maybe you are the decision maker and can address this directly!)

BORROW a tool the next time you need one from the Edmonton Tool Library, buy a refurbished phone, or check out the Reuse Centre for craft or party supplies.

SIGN this petition hosted by Open Media to demand the federal government stop stalling on broad Right to Repair legislation.

If you have any ideas for our readers on other actions they can take at home or in their communities, please leave them in the Comments!

Talking To Edmonton About Single-Use Items

Single-use items. This is an issue that Waste Free Edmonton has been working on since our inception. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons our founders started the non-profit organization. We have come so far in the past 4 years. It makes sense to celebrate the wins as we get them.

Celebrating wins also entails explaining them to folks in our lives who don’t have the same level of knowledge about climate change and climate actions. The vast majority of Canadians are worried about the effects of climate change, but only half of us self-report understanding of climate change, and what needs to be done to combat it (Source).

If you are reading this, we can assume that you are interested in waste and climate change. And we assume that you talk to your friends and family about those topics. We know that it can be difficult having those conversations, especially with folks who don’t have the same level of knowledge as you. We hope this short guide helps you discuss our latest local climate win: the Plan to Reduce Single-use Items and its bylaw.

Leave Space

Nobody wants to hear a lecture, unless they are paying to go to school! Come informed and ready to listen. This looks like leaving space for the other person to talk and ask questions. And make sure that you are asking questions to understand and clarify, not to respond. And especially not to denigrate their knowledge.

That being said, it’s critically important to discourage climate change denial, fossil fuel company talking points, and racism, which can often come up when discussing current (and historic) climate actions. These are healthy boundaries to set and reinforce. You might not change anyone’s mind, but you can get them thinking about single-use items and the impact they have.

Speak from personal experience

Yes, it’s important to get your facts in about the single-use item plan, but it will be more meaningful – and memorable – if you speak about your personal experience. For example, tell your friend what you are excited about, or nervous about in the new plan. Explain to your Dad how you think this plan will impact your daily life and a trick you’ll use to remember to bring your reusables from home. Share with coworkers why you believe we need a single-use item plan and what this will mean for your weekly team lunch. Connecting the single-use item plan to your daily life will encourage your friends and family to do the same. Chatting in this way allows everyone to explore how the plan will impact them, their community, or their local business, and encourages people to get ready for the bylaw to take effect. And in a larger sense, this gets everyone to start evaluating the impact their actions have on waste in our community.

Since you’re keeping it personal, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” in response to a question or comment. Remember that you can always refer back to the City’s resources and encourage your friend to email their Councillor directly with questions.

Keep a cool head

Encouraging your friends and family to get curious about how this bylaw might affect them might bring out some strong feelings. Remember, this isn’t your plan so try not to take feedback personally. Recommend they reach out to their Councillor and Mayor if they have tough questions or comments. And if you come up against denialism, politely explain that you are not debating the proven existence of climate change.

Follow Up!

Once it’s had a few days to sink in, follow up after your conversation. Ask if they had any further questions or comments, and list any that you thought of. Send them an email including the link to the plan and a list of emails for City Councillors. Think of your own waste free journey. It probably took awhile for you to learn about waste reduction, and how to translate your knowledge into action. Patience and many conversations within our community are the keys to the success of Edmonton’s single-use item bylaw.

Donating Fashion and Textiles in Edmonton

Dealing with textile waste is really tricky business, as our clothes are more often than not made up of a blend of different fibres and materials. Polyester/cotton t-shirts, acrylic/nylon scarves, coated backpack fabrics, and laminated waterproof jackets mean that it’s difficult to separate various components for effective recycling and reuse. With that in mind, what are our options for processing textile waste?

Within Edmonton, the City of Edmonton’s WasteWise app suggests that clothing in good condition be reused through donation, resale, or given away and offers a list of potential donation avenues through its Reuse Directory. The Directory lists nonprofit organizations such as Bissell Thrift Shop, MCC Thrift Shop, Salvation Army Thrift Store, and Goodwill. You can also donate to local small businesses like Chubby Fem Thrift. Make sure to check with these organizations first in case there are items they do not accept. Note that this is not an exhaustive list and that other nonprofit and for-profit organizations accept clothing donations as well.

Outdoor clothing bins located throughout the City are owned and operated by different companies (e.g. Value Village) with proceeds of these donations benefiting various programs or charities. If these bins are full, do not leave your items outside! Clothing that gets wet from rain or snow can become mouldy or smelly, making it no longer sellable.

Unfortunately, Edmonton does not have a formal municipal textile recycling program. The WasteWise app suggests throwing these items in the garbage. However, you can repurpose your unusable textiles to divert them from landfill. Searching “repurposed clothing” or “upcycled clothing” will give you many ideas to creatively make use of these items. Blenderz Garment Recyclers make and sell craft kits and items made from unwearable items, which would be a great place to start and support a local business!

August 1, 2021August 2, 2021

15 Ways to Repurpose Your Old Garbage Bin

The move from plastic or metal garbage bins to automated cart collection can be a jarring one. We’re used to filling our garbage bin on a weekly basis with bagged garbage and familiar with the volume and capacity of our bins. When carts were rolled out and garbage bins became obsolete, many wondered what to do with them — we’ve come up with a list of ideas, with contributions from members of the Waste Free Edmonton community.

Here are 15 things you can do with your old garbage bins.

Turn it into a Composter

Upcycle your old bin into a backyard composter. Check out this tutorial for more information on how!

Already have a composter? Use it to make leaf mould!

Store Leaves for Your Compost

A garbage bin is a perfect place to store excess leaves for your compost, keeping them dry and on your property to easily supplement your compost year-round. Make a composter out of one bin and use the other bins to store leaves and other organic waste!

Store Your Empties

Garbage bins are perfect for storing empty beverage containers for recycling. If you use them for your bottles, you can eliminate the need for plastic bags when bringing them into the depot! Just bring the entire bin with you and empty it there. Bring the empty bin home, give it a rinse, and you’re ready for the next bottle run!

Collect Rain

Check out this simple DIY for transforming your old bin into a rain barrel! A clever way to keep your bin from going to waste AND cut down on your water bill. Keep it out of direct sunlight to discourage any leaching from the garbage bin!

Grow Your Own Produce

Use your bin to grow your own produce! Members of our facebook group have grown potatoes and corn in theirs. Do check if the type of plastic is food safe first, and don’t forget to drill drainage holes in the bottom. You can even cut your bin in half and make two mini raised garden beds!

Keep Firewood Dry & Accessible

Use your bin to keep your firewood dry. Perhaps you already have a dedicated space for firewood that’s a bit inconvenient to get to, but you could use your bin closer to where you will use it and refill as necessary!

Additional Storage in the Garage / Garden Shed

Garbage bins are great for storing any tall, awkward items. Perfect for holding shovels, rakes, and poles! And not just garden tools — sports equipment (skis, hockey sticks) works great too.

Transform it into a DIY Cat Shelter

Edmonton winters get really cold, and the strays will be thanking you big time for this one. Insulate your bin and use it as a cat shelter; you can find lots of DIY tutorials like this one online.

Recycling Container

Just because your bin was intended for garbage, doesn’t mean that’s all it can hold! Why not use it to store your recycling that you put out for pick up? Remember to put it in a blue bag!

Transport Loose Items

Your old bin could save you tons of trouble next time you head to the Eco Station to pick up free mulch! Load it up in the garbage bin to keep it contained.

Blend Your Soil

If every spring you find yourself mixing fifty tiny batches of soil blends because you just don’t have a big enough container… this one’s for you! Use your old bin to mix your soil in the spring, or even to store your soil all year long.

Flip it Upside Down!

If you are out working in the yard or garden and find you are in need of some counter space or a raised, flat surface, you might find that your bin is actually quite handy! Flip it upside down and use the bottom of it for some extra working space.

Mouse-proof Bird Seed Container

If mice have a way of finding your bird seed or grass seed over the winter, your old garbage bin might be just what you need to keep them out! Store any such items with the lid sealed to keep critters at bay.

Give Bins to Someone New

Remember, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure! If you still have no use (or perhaps, no space!) for your old garbage bin, try to rehome it. If none of your friends or family members are interested, post it in your local Buy Nothing group, list it on Marketplace, Kijiji, or donate it to a second hand shop. Someone else is just waiting to get their hands on it! As always, when passing an item on to a new person, it is important to clean or mend it beforehand.

Bring it to the Eco Station

As a last resort, make sure your bins are taken care of properly. Dispose of your old garbage bins at the Eco Station or wherever facilities exist. Learn more here.

Many of these ideas were pulled from members of the Waste Free Edmonton Group on facebook and from comments on our “Wheel Conversations” post about garbage bins. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed and shared their ideas!

January 2, 2021November 11, 2022

Our 2021 New Year’s Resolutions

Talus image: © Dwayne Martineau/Laughing Dog Photography

2020 has been a ridiculous year, one where keeping up with the sheer pace of the news cycle was an achievement in itself. It will be defined forever by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on, well, everything. It’s only in hindsight that we will be able to reflect on its impacts in other areas, particularly waste. There have been glimmers of hope for a waste free future though, and the growing consensus against waste at multiple levels of society and government have been promising to watch.

Here are some of our hopes and resolutions for a 2021 that has to be better.

No more delays on SUP legislation.

2020, for as bad as it was, had mixed messages on the topic of banning single-use plastics. While Edmonton’s progress on the SUP bylaw has been paused, the federal government’s announcement of a 2021 ban was both promising and a reminder that reducing plastic waste should be on the radar of every government. However, banning single-use plastics ‘by the end of 2021’ is vague enough that we expect to be holding governments accountable for their promises. We hope that won’t be the case.

International waste legislation

Our SUP framework will help government officials with their planning and decision making for similar SUP bylaws in their jurisdictions. The best way to achieve waste reduction is through a network of overlapping laws that provide knowledge and experience for other cities and countries looking to reduce waste. The European Union has us beat with a tax on unrecyclable plastic that went live on January 1st! Bans, taxes, and other prohibitions will help stamp out plastic waste slowly, but surely. It’s up to us to use these advances to help waste reduction efforts in Edmonton.

Waste Free Edmonton’s 2018 appearance in Devon.

More opportunities for collaboration, dialogue

We’ve been able to work on communicating the need for waste reduction through our social media and digital meetups, but just being in the same room as someone, talking about waste, hearing and listening how it affects someone and their community provides that energy to push for greater change. We want more community events, repair cafes, field trips, anything to help further integrate waste reduction into our everyday lives.

Continued moves towards local economies

For years, we spoke against online shopping from an emissions standpoint — how much CO₂ was released into the atmosphere to ship that parcel to your door? But Amazon worker strikes helped shed more light on the negative results of mass consumerism and pushed more individuals to think, shop, and act locally. Acknowledging the benefits of circular economies, freecycling, bartering, and local connectivity helps reduce waste and foster community.

A healthy Edmonton

COVID-19’s effects on Edmonton have been painful, and we’re all looking forward to a regression and elimination of the pandemic. As exciting as the recent news on vaccines has been, we don’t know the logistics of vaccination, how it’s going to be implemented in Edmonton, and how long the process will take. What we do know is that there’s no waste reduction without Edmontonians to achieve it. We need to keep our community as healthy as possible in 2021.

December 11, 2020March 31, 2021

Gift-Giving For Sustainability Skeptics

We all know people who are reluctant to embrace sustainability as part of their lives. Maybe it’s your mom, who is too busy to think about sustainability. Maybe it’s your friend, who can’t afford to prioritize beeswax wraps or organic produce. But as someone who cares, you want to keep your sustainable influence going. So how do you balance not offending your mom, and not seeming too ‘above’ your struggling friend? It can be tough to play your cards right in these situations, especially in the gift-giving season.

The best way to navigate slipping sustainable gifts into skeptical stockings is to find sustainable alternatives to items you would already want to buy them. With a little digging, you can almost always find an alternative to conventional items! So make your shopping list as you would always do, and then plan a little twist.

One of my favourite seasonal items is the candle. It’s a simple, crowd-pleasing gift that’s not too pricey, either. However, traditional candles have environmental consequences. Paraffin candles are known to emit greenhouse gases when burned, and are made from non-renewable petroleum. Fan favourites like Bath and Body Works contain fragrances that originate from petrochemicals, which are known to cause health issues when burnt frequently. It’s not in anyone’s best interest to invest in conventional candles, but what’s the alternative?

Beeswax candles are a great option- as a natural by-product of the beekeeping process, these candles are renewable sourced, and beeswax products are trending! Honey Candles is a growing BC company that specializes in pure beeswax candles, with no added petrochemicals. You can also ask your local beekeeper about beeswax. Backyard beekeepers may have leftover wax for sale- use this map to locate a beekeeper in your neighbourhood.

Soy candles are another option, and perfect for the true vegan. Soy wax is 100% biodegradable, and is sourced from renewable materials. Local company Wick’d Petals uses soy wax, paired with dried flowers, to create a clean, local, and delicious fragrance, all packed in a reusable tin! They have also implemented a container-return program, where the candle tins can be returned for a discount on your next purchase. This motivates people through savings, but in the end facilitates sustainability. It’s a neat product to gift, for sure.

Looking to combine environmental and social sustainability? Look into Misiyo candle company, an local brand that supports disadvantaged Rwandans with the sales of their beeswax/coconut wax candles! By purchasing a candle, you provide health insurance to widows and orphans in Rwanda, helping to boost social sustainability and keeping you involved in global citizenship. You are also purchasing a renewable-sourced product in a reusable tin that can be returned for a discount; it’s a win for the buyer, the receiver, the Edmonton company, and the Rwandans.

You pinpointed one item on your list; the candle. You found three local companies finding innovative alternatives to conventional candles. You have eliminated harmful petrochemicals. There is no more black smoke coming off your candle. You’ve cut down on packaging and shipping. You’ve found a reusable tin that gets you a future discount. And, your money has stayed within the community, helping Canadian artisans thrive. Why would you spend that money any other way? And the best part is, you don’t have to flaunt it as a sustainable purchase. Know your audience; do they care most about the local investment, or about the future discount? Do they love the dried flowers, or the cute tin? Play to their interests. It makes you look like a great gift giver, and it gets them interested in a sustainable product. You’re not stuck with a big-chain product. This holiday season, dig deeper into your shopping list, and dig up those sustainable alternatives to products that you already know your people will love.

Featured photo credit: Wick’d Petals

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020

Celebrate Waste Reduction Week In Canada

Waste reduction does not look like this. Photo: Mackenzie Photography

Waste Reduction Week is an annual initiative dedicated to learning about and then taking action toward waste reduction. With the recent news in Edmonton that our waste management facility is only recycling about 75% of the collected blue bag items – and sending the rest to landfill – waste reduction is becoming a more appealing option.

WASTE REDUCTION WEEK CANADA

October 19 to 25, 2020 is our time to celebrate all things waste reduction, and spread the good word about initiatives folks are taking in their communities across Canada. While this week was officially started in 2001 by the Recycling Council of Ontario, many cities and provinces have been hosting their own waste reduction awareness initiatives since the 1980s. Closer to home, the Recycling Council of Alberta is presenting events across the province.

THEME DAYS

Waste Reduction Week is structured into 7 themes, with one to focus on each day. As with many waste free initiatives, you might have a lot of knowledge or interest in one area, and less in another. This structure gives everyone an opportunity to learn about something new or work towards a deeper commitment. All activism and organizing is more manageable when broken down into smaller steps, and waste reduction is no different.

The themes are as follows:

Monday – Circular Economy
Tuesday – Textiles
Wednesday – E-Waste
Thursday – Plastic
Friday – Food waste
Saturday – Sharing economy
Sunday – Swap and repair

For detailed information on each theme, and more resources, visit the Waste Reduction Week site here.

HOW TO CELEBRATE

With the seven themes, and various events and programming set for each day, there are a lot of different ways you can “celebrate” Waste Reduction Week and take action. If you are already doing some waste reduction in your household, pick a theme you are less familiar with. And if you’re very confident in your current actions, perhaps take this time to inspire others. We recommend chatting with your friends and family to find an activity you can do together. If you’re motivated, perhaps contact your community league, local politician, or your workplace to try to implement larger changes. Regardless of what you choose, choose something! We’ve compiled some activities for you, ranging from low effort to truly changemaking. It’s easy to stay at home and stay safe, too; you won’t have to compromise your cohort to take part!

With some online webinars on the list, you won’t have to compromise your cohort to take part!

LOW EFFORT

Watch a documentary with a waste reduction theme. Some Waste Free Edmonton favourites are The Story of Plastic and Wasted! The Story of Food Waste. Canadian documentaries are also available for viewing.

Take part in The Alberta Leftovers Challenge on October 21. Post a photo on social and tag friends, family, local politicians and ask them how they prevent food waste.

MEDIUM EFFORT

Pack yourself – or your kid – a plastic-free lunch.

Take the City of Edmonton Waste Reduction Roadmap survey this week, and then share the link with your friends, family, and coworkers!

MOST EFFORT

Host a waste collection drive – Canada generated 638,300 tonnes of “e-scrap” in 2017 – or a clothing swap – approximately 9% of the average black cart materials collected by Strathcona County are reusable or recyclable textiles – in your community.

Do a trash and recycle bin audit, and then commit to making one item swap using the audit as your guide.

Garbage piled up on the corner of a field. — All this garbage — even if it was once recyclable, it is not anymore — could have been handled differently.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

As with any waste reduction lifestyle change, we are ultimately looking for systemic change as well. Waste Reduction Week’s mission is to empower all Canadians to adopt more environmentally conscious choices. But unfortunately we know that not everyone has equal access to those choices. Ultimately, it is the systemic change that is needed to permanently turn the tide on climate change. Talking to your workplace about making changes, helping folks in your community take their bulky and hazardous waste to the Eco Station, and packing plastic free lunches are very important. Communication and inspiration go a long way. We can take those actions a step further by joining or organizing an advocacy group to present a waste reduction recommendation to your City Council. More and more people are turning to their community leagues to help form a community-wide waste reduction strategy. Another important aspect of environmental justice is using your skills and platform – whatever that looks like – to amplify the voices of many Indigenous individuals, groups and Nations already doing this work.

Waste Reduction Week is a great place to start your journey, learn more about waste reduction in general, and then use as a springboard to achieve the systemic change needed to make a difference in our world.

RESOURCES

Waste Reduction Week Canada

Recycling Council of Alberta – WRW

Strathcona County Waste Reduction Week

City of Edmonton – Future of Waste

Reuse It Edmonton – WRW 2019 Blog

August 1, 2020January 25, 2021

Adrienne Is The Avant Gardener

Adrienne is the entrepreneur behind The Avant Gardener, one of Edmonton’s few sellers of red wigglers. Vermicomposting is the science of using worms to break down organic matter and is a quick way to reduce food waste while generating fantastic compost for your garden. I visited Adrienne to hear about her vermicomposting business and how she reduces waste.

Pulling up to her property, I marked its owner as having a green thumb immediately. Her house is ribboned with plants and greenery, vegetables and herbs planted wherever there’s room for a pot. Her backyard is also her headquarters for the Avant Gardener, with worm factories dotted throughout. We crack open a bottle of homemade rhubarb wine and start our chat.

“I worked in community gardens for a few years and was constantly running out of good soil for my plants,” she says. “Learning about vermicomposting was amazing. It solved my need for healthy soil and improved my plants at the same time.”

Composting is a simple, natural science that has existed for millions of years. The right proportion of greens (wet, nitrogen-rich materials) and browns (dry, carbon-rich materials) exposed to air and water will break down organic matter. Adding red wigglers — a specific kind of worm, not every earthworm has this ability — into this mix speeds up the process considerably. When Adrienne heard how quickly the addition of worms helps break down organic matter, she dove into vermicomposting wholeheartedly.

“I started home vermicomposting in 2015, started selling excess worms in 2016, and joined the Master Composter Recycler program in 2018. It’s been a lot of fun going out and talking to people about worms and waste.”

Snoots the pug is at my feet, receiving skritches and splooting in the grass during a hot summer night. Adrienne laughs. “He’s a great help.”

Snoots keeps a watchful eye on the decomposition

We’ve only talked about the positives to vermicomposting — I ask her what issues she’s had, if any, with worms?

“I was worried about my worm bin at the start. Is it too big, too small, are there enough holes, things like that. I kept searching for answers on the internet, which left me more confused. But my compost mentor told me a valuable quote:

“If you’ve seen one worm bin, you’ve seen one worm bin.”

“It reminded me that worm composting is supposed to be less fuss and more fun. Soil ecology is a complex and fascinating science, it’s easier to observe and relate with the simple hands-on approach. Your bin has to work for you.”

She walks me through her backyard, pointing out her worm factories nestled between, underneath, and around blooming flowers and rapidly-growing vegetables. She points out kale, potatoes, chard, tomatoes, cucumbers — too many to mention. “All my plants are fed with worm castings. Just throw a handful into your garden!” She opens up a nearby factory, skims some castings off the top, and lobs them into a pot of peppers.

Adrienne shows off a worm factory

“It’s no longer unusual to hear someone say they have a box of worms helping break down their food scraps. It’s an inexpensive project, and you might already have everything you need except the worms.”

Adrienne lifts a handful of worms

Adrienne’s hands are dusted with dirt and castings, but this is Adrienne at her most comfortable. Her story is one that stands out for how ordinary it is; we all have desires to reduce our carbon footprint or address the environmental problems in our day-to-day lives. Hers were solved using vermicomposting, and with a little research, yours can too.

Adrienne’s worms, worm tea, and worm castings are available to purchase today! Her contact information is below.

The Avant Gardener

E: floweringfootprints@gmail.com

P: 780-238-1237

Tag: edmonton

Yard Waste or Yard Resource? Managing Yards in Edmonton

What To Know About The New Waste Bylaw

Talking To Edmonton About Single-Use Items

15 Ways to Repurpose Your Old Garbage Bin

Here are 15 things you can do with your old garbage bins.

Our 2021 New Year’s Resolutions

Celebrate Waste Reduction Week In Canada

Adrienne Is The Avant Gardener

Vermicomposting Resources

CRITICISMS OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

TAKE ACTION

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES

Here are 15 things you can do with your old garbage bins.

Vermicomposting Resources