Wednesday, December 9, 2015

How to: Waste-less Holidays

The Holiday season is filled with decorations, parties and presents -- these can create a lot more waste, but it doesn't have to be that way!

The City of Edmonton wants residents to think about the environment at this time of year. We can all do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.  Let's make 2015 a Waste-Less Holiday.

Check out videos from Dave Claus and find out about the holiday collection schedule at edmonton.ca/wastelessholidays.

Got a favourite Waste-Less Holiday tip? Share them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #WasteLessHolidays.

Some Helpful Tips for Holiday Clean-Up:
  • Recycle paper, cardboard, plastic and/or glass bottles and jars, and aluminium (cans and trays). These go in Blue Bags, Apartment Blue Bins, or brought to a Recycling Depot.
  • Have cardboard boxes? Flatten and put them in your Blue Bag. Large flattened boxes should be placed neatly under your Blue Bag(s).
  • Make your garbage light and sized right. Keep garbage bag/cans under 20kg (44lbs), and use the right type of can (maximum size 100 L, with fixed handles and no wheels). 
  • Keep your collectors safe. Package and label sharp objects (like broken glass), and keep a clear path to your trash (especially in snowy/icy conditions).
  • Take broken lights, electronics, and anything with a cord or battery to an Eco Station. 
  • Styrofoam goes in your garbage.
  • Recycle your tree. The City of Edmonton will collect natural Christmas trees starting on January 12, 2016. Trees will be picked up for recycling within three weeks of this date, but not necessarily on scheduled days for waste collection.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Movie Review by MCR Suzanne L.: Just Eat It

This food waste movie is the personal story of Jen and Grant, a couple who embark on a mission to see if they can live six months only eating food waste.

Their plan seems gross and impractical, at first. Shortly into the movie, they show you not only how possible this is, they also expose the fractured and wasteful nature of food production and distribution in North America.

This movie uses fascinating research, industry specialist interviews, and humour to highlight the fact that as a society, we take food for granted. At the conclusion of this movie, I had a new inspiration to use the food in my own fridge before it goes bad. I also gained new respect for the process that brought it to my kitchen.

Watch Just Eat It: A food waste story on demand (pay per view) - visit foodwastemovie.com



Watch the Trailer


Interview Clip, 2014 Edmonton International
Film Festival


MCR Suzanne L. completed the MCR Course in 1998. She is still passionate about reducing waste and stays involved with the MCR Program. Suzy and her husband once ran an experiment to measure all their household garbage throughout the year. Suzanne is also the author of Composting for Canada.

Have you watched a waste documentary lately?
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