Get Your Rs In Order!
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In Ontario, there is a move to make producers pay for the full cost of picking up and handling recycling. Owen Sound Waste Watchers recently participated in a panel discussion with others in our region about this move and what it means for all of us!
So... The three Rs, can you name them? Most of us remember “Recycle” but the other two Rs are actually more important if we want to reduce the amount of waste our household contributes to the system.
- REDUCE – Over consumption is one of the reasons we are in this mess. The most effective way to reduce household waste is simply not to purchase it in the first place. You can do this by purchasing items you need with less packaging AND figuring out if you really need it (or two) in the first place. You may find that the only thing that doesn’t reduce is your bank statement!
- RE-USE – When you use a travel mug, a reusable shopping bag or your own containers in a local store, you are reducing your carbon footprint and making Mother Nature happy. Let’s give well-loved and gently used items a second chance to shine, honouring the energy it took to make them in the first placed, saving the purchases of brand new items for when they are truly needed.
- Then (and only then) RECYCLE – Yup, recycling should be the very last R in the process. Just because the waste leaves your home in the Blue Box, it doesn’t mean it will actually be recycled into another product and used again. With shrinking global markets for some plastics and the high cost of recycling others, today Canada only recycles 9% of our plastics. Read more
Got questions or comments? Email us at oswastewatchers@gmail.com today.