October is Recycling month at BlogHers Act Canada. As the fall leaves turn and the pumpkins emerge, we hope bloggers and blog-readers will embrace the personal eco-challenge to recycle more. We're asking everyone to blog about it in their own way and spread the word between now and October 30th. We'll do a Halloween round up of posts and even draw a winner for some sweet Halloween treats. There is no incentive quite like sugar.
To kick off recycling month we have a verrrrrry special guest blogger! The City Gal (if you aren't already reading her amazing blog, then you are missin out) is here today with an incredible post. And the links! Oh the links! It's like a feast of eco-friendly, recyclable info ...
Recycling (Our Hazardous Waste)
by: The City Gal
When the topic of recycling comes up, many of us think of pop cans, juice bottles and paper. But amongst the environmental professionals there are more consumer products, recycling of which is even more critical. Specifically, I would like to name:
- Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)
- Mercury-containing Thermostats
- Electronic Waste (TVs, Computers, DVD Players, Cell Phones, Cameras)
- Other Hazardous Waste (Mercury Thermometers and Batteries)
In the past few years the Canadian Federal Government and with Provincial Governments (CCME) along with many Non-Governmental Organizations have developed new plans for the collection and recycling of hazardous waste and have run many pilot projects.
Let’s take the Compact Fluorescent Lamps that are supposed to replace incandescent lamps in less than 5 years. Ontario will ban the sale of inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012 and therefore have more than 90 million CFLs in use by then. However, CFLs contain mercury and are extremely hazardous if broken. Last year Recycling Council of Ontario and the Ministry of the Environment ran a pilot project to collect and recycle all fluorescent light bulbs from Toronto schools. The pilot was very successful and this program will soon be expanded to cover the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sector in Ontario. However, homeowners for now, can only drop off their lamps at their nearest Waste Collection Depot in their own municipality, or IKEA. Most municipalities in Ontario accept CFLs.
Did you know that the old thermostats in homes contain mercury? Not only they are hazardous, but also very ineffective when it comes to temperature-control and energy saving. The Clean Air Foundation has started a program (in partnership with the industry organizations and the government) that will replace these thermostats with digital ones to save energy in homes and also collect and recycle the mercury. You can contact a local contractor or take advantage of the Cool Savings Program to switch your thermostat and keep mercury out of our landfills. In near future, some retailers such as Home Depot and Canadian Tire will be able to take back mercury-containing lamps or thermostats.
Electronic waste, if not treated properly, is a major source of toxins and carcinogens (metals and heavy metals). Electronic waste represents 2 percent of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70 percent of overall toxic waste. Many jurisdictions are currently running pilot programs to collect and recycle such items. These programs usually involve an environmental fee to be paid by the customer at the time of purchase. According to a Waste Diversion Ontario study, of the over 1.5 million computers and other computer equipment discarded in 2004, only about two per cent were diverted. According to the same study, less than one per cent of televisions and other audio-visual equipment and two percent of telecom equipment were diverted in 2004. The good news is that soon, a new program will collect and recycle electronics in Ontario . However, until then, please contact the local waste depot in your municipality and drop off your waste at their location.
There are other hazardous items in our homes that we might mistakenly put into the trash can. Please remember that our municipal garbage is land-filled at this point and soon partially incinerated. It is our responsibility to make sure our municipal garbage is “safe”, meaning that it doesn’t contain any hazardous waste. Items such as batteries, thermometers, paints, pesticides and motor-oil should not go into municipal garbage or down the drain. Please contact your municipality to see what can be collected at their waste depots. If your municipality doesn’t run a hazardous waste program, please pressure your local councilor or your member of the parliament to make the change.
Just a reminder, October 15-21 is Waste Reduction Week in Canada.
Comments