Environment Week Tours at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre

Environment Week is Sunday, May 31 to Saturday, June 6, 2015.

Why not celebrate with a free guided tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre?

• See how your recyclables are sorted
• Discover how your garbage is used to create compost 
• Find out more about our new waste-to-biofuels facility
• Learn how old computers and electronics are recycled
• And much more!

Daily tours will be offered Monday June 1 - Friday June 5.

• When: Tours begin at 2 pm and 5:30 pm
• Where: Edmonton Waste Management Centre (13111 Meridian Street)
• Length: 2 hours (not recommended for children under 9 years old)
• To register: Call 780-496-5698. Reservations required and spots fill  quickly.

Can't come to our Environment Week tours?
Public tours are offered for individuals and small groups every Friday at 9 am and 12:30 pm. Reservations required. Visit edmonton.ca/wastetour to learn more. Or show your friend a Photographic Tour of EWMC.

Check out edmonton.ca/environmentweek for information about all the fun events and activities taking place around Edmonton!

Global Off Limits: Inside the Municipal Composter

Did you know that Edmonton is home to the largest municipal composter in North America? Organic waste from our garbage is turned into a valuable soil ammendment. Egg shells, apple cores, chicken bones, and even paper napkins are full of nutrients that, through composting, are returned to the soil.

Recently, Michael Boyer of Global News went inside the Edmonton Compost Facility to give viewers a peek at what goes on inside:

Compost created by the City of Edmonton is used on public land, and is also packaged for sale as Second Nature Compost. It can be purchased at all Eco Stations, as well as several home and garden supply stores. See a list of vendors here.

Alternative route to access Edmonton Waste Management Centre

Due to construction of the Anthony Henday in northeast Edmonton, residents are asked to use an alternative route to access the Edmonton Waste Management Centre from May 8th to May 20th. A section of Meridian Street north of the Yellowhead Trail will be temporarily closed to allow construction of the new bridge over the Yellowhead. Please use Hayter Road/17 Street instead and follow the detour signs as you approach the site. The Edmonton Waste Management Centre is a unique collection of advanced waste processing and research facilities. Owned and operated by the City of Edmonton Waste Management Services, the EWMC is an integral part of Edmonton's sustainable approach to waste management. For more information: Visit edmonton.ca/ewmc

Turn Them In with Battery Newman

What can you learn about proper waste disposal from a singing battery? Quite a lot, when that singing battery is as awesome as Battery Newman, the star of the music video ‘Turn Me In.’ Battery Newman sings in the style of another famous Newman – Randy Newman. His new hit points out the importance of taking batteries and other household hazardous waste and electronics to an Eco Station for proper disposal or recycling.

The video is part of the City’s  ‘Turn Them In’ Eco Stations campaign. As spring has finally arrived (yay!) and Edmontonians are beginning their spring-cleaning and renovations, this is the perfect time of year to get rid of all those waste items that are taking up room in your house or garage.  Household hazardous waste and electronics can be turned into an Eco Station for FREE! (Who doesn’t like that price?) These kinds of items include batteries (of course), leftover paint, light bulbs, old computers, syringes and broken power tools.  

Speaking of renovations, Eco Stations also accept renovation waste and bulky items too big to set out for collection (fees apply). Pop over to edmonton.ca/ecostations for a full list of items that are accepted at Eco Stations.

#EcoSelfie

Did you know that the City just opened up its fourth Eco Station? The newest addition is the Kennedale Eco Station, located at 53rdStreet and 127th Ave. This means that there is now an Eco Station in each quadrant of the city! Eco stations are really easy to use and the attendants are always on hand to help out and answer any questions you might have.

"Turn me in to the Eco Station, so I don't leak acid from my face."

Eco Stations aren't just great places to turn in waste for proper disposal or recycling, they’re also places where you can reuse items. The Ambleside Eco Station in the south, and new Kennedale EcoStation both have a Reuse Area. You can take any of the items that are in the Reuse Area at no cost. You don’t even have to drop anything off at the Eco Station in order to take something! The items in the Reuse Area are items that were turned in to the Eco Station and that staff deemed to be in good condition and reusable.

There's really no excuse, to keep around a battery, once it's run right out of juice

The other item you can pick-up (not free) from all four Eco Stations, which may be of even more interest to you composter fans, is Second Nature® compost, made at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. For a list of other Second Nature® compost retailers please visit edmonton.ca/compostsales.

Join the thousands of Edmontonians who turn in dangerous waste to the Eco Station every year!

If you’re like me and Battery Newman has inspired you to create and share your own informative waste disposal or reduction video (how could you not be inspired by Battery Newman??), you’re in luck! The 90waysto90.com site allows you to do just that! Upload your video on any waste reduction method (composting tips perhaps?) to help Edmonton achieve our goal of 90 per cent of household waste out of landfills.

Get your friends and family to like and share your video. Have fun and remember...turn in your household hazardous waste!