MCR Volunteers by Neighbourhood 2019

Refill! Refill! Refill! by MCR Michelle C.

Join me on my six month journey to waste reduction for my family of four.

In November of 2018, I became conscious of my family's household waste.  I realized that the bulk of our waste was from packaged food products. Most of the packages were not of value on the recycle market and were likely ending up in the landfill.

After some research, I noticed that most of our general household pantry items could be found locally in bulk. With the intention to drastically reduce the amount of waste my family puts on the curb I took action immediately by:

• Sewing myself some reusable produce bags. It didn’t take long to build a collection of 15 bags to fill with lots of produce that my family enjoys on a regular basis. 
• Shopping in bulk for produce at H &W, a local produce store.
• Shopping at Bulk Barn and Earth's General Store as they offer the option bring your own container to refill when shopping for bulk items. (Both stores take the tare weight of my containers before I shop then subtract that weight when I pay for my items).

On my first trip to the bulk stores, I had no intention of buying, but generated a list of regularly purchased items that I could buy package free. I created a shelf in my recycle space at home that I could store containers for refilling; so the next time I went grocery shopping I could easily grab the right size containers for what I needed. This also helped reduce our recyclables and grow a collection of refillable containers.

A 3lb pre-packaged bag of apples cost
more than my 3 lb reusable bag full!

Cost was was my biggest barrier in getting started. However, I am happy to say there was only one item that I found through this process that didn’t make sense economically to buy in bulk as a refill and thankfully it comes in paper packaging. Actually, I have found that most items are cheaper bought in bulk. In some cases, I can buy a smaller amount and prevent future food and storage waste.

I also found that more variety was available in bulk for items like flours, grains, and legumes. Looking back over my grocery budget over the last six months, I have spent less each month as I continued on my refillable journey.

Making the decision to change my family's shopping habits resulted in shopping at local, Edmonton based stores that were actually closer to my home than my former one stop shopping centre. Choosing to shop differently has helped reduce the amount of curbside waste we set out and support Edmonton based businesses.


Now, six months into my refill shopping journey, I refill an average of 50-60 containers a month. I am able to regularly purchase items in bulk by refilling my containers with items including and not limited to: 

• Gluten free and specialty flours
• Oatmeal and cereal
• Coffee and loose leaf tea
• Dried fruit, dates and dried coconut flakes
• Sugars and xylitol
• Nutritional yeast
• Baking ingrediants like baking powder, yeast  and baking soda
• Maca powder
• Textured vegetable protein
• Nuts, 
• Seeds
• Pasta, quinoa and rice 
• Legumes
• Popcorn
• Coconut oil and local canola oil
• Pink salt
• Sundried tomatoes
• Molasses
• Organic vanilla
• Liquid shampoo and liquid conditioner 
• Topical essential oils
• Frozen fruit
• Frozen perogies 
• Frozen vegan meat alternatives

As a result, my family has gone from putting one recycle blue bag out every week to once a month. Committing to refilling containers for many grocery and household items is not as hard as it may sound. Make a list of items your household consumes regularly and find out which stores offer refillable options and go from there, one reusable container at a time.  

Michelle joined the MCR ranks in May of 2019. Michelle is passionate about waste reduction in Edmonton. I also am on my own journey of living a more sustainable life, and love to pass along all the tips and tricks I’ve learned! If you like to see my Journey in more detail or watch as I explore further into waste reduction you can follow me on Facebook @earthkeeperedm or Instagram @earthkeeper .

Life as a Red Wiggler by MCR Alan S.

Hi there, I'm a red wiggler, the type of worm that helps turn food waste into usable and plant nourishing compost. I am excited to help provide you with an easy and environmentally friendly solution to your food waste. I am sure you are going to look after my buddies and I really well. You have probably been told a few things and have checked us out on the web. That's great! Here is a little more information about us.

We like to have proper moisture in our home (worm bin); we like it moist and not too wet.
Please make sure to keep a drain open in our home to make it easier for us to manage the moisture. Make sure you save any liquid that drains (if it doesn't have a foul smell) to fertilize your plants.  If our home gets too wet, adding more browns like paper towel or dried leaves will help us control the moisture and reduce bugs.

If you add a bit of sand ( about one cup sprinkled for every one inch of compostables) it helps are gizzards and keeps our land loose and easy to move around in. We also like a bit of trace minerals such as azomite and diatomaceous earth. Not only are these minerals and sand better for us, it is also much easier for you when it comes time to harvest our castings.

Here's what we like to eat:

• We too enjoy a morning coffee in the form of grinds and filters.
• Vegetables; not too many tomatoes please.
• Fruits; (no citrus) too much fruit = too many fruit flies.
• Breads, cereals, pasta (no milk products).
• Fine roots, leaves and a little grass.
• Eggshells (put eggshells in a paper towel, crush them up and throw in the the whole thing). These help keep our pH levels levels around 6.5.
• Paper products, shredded is best. We could help governments and agencies shred sensitive documents.
• Please remember don't give us meat or dairy products.
• Watch out for hot composting. Keep our temperature under 35 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit. We prefer lots of airflow. 
• We like lots of variety and quantity in our food, so give us lots, if it starts to stink maybe you have over fed us, but fear not we will get to it all in good time.
• We are prolific breeders and if you follow these simple instructions we will multiply quickly!

That’s all for now. Take care of us and have fun! Keep us in the dark, moist and fed, and don’t let us freeze -- we are Californians you know!

With love from,

A Red Wiggler

To learn more: edmonton.ca/compost

Alan S. is a Master Composter Recycler from the 2019 year. Alan helps to reduce waste and turn it into goodness one worm bin at a time.  

Tell One Friend: Bring Your Container for Leftovers

Lots of people go out to eat. We enjoy each other's company, celebrate successes, or take the pressure off of making a meal. Restaurants will pack up leftover food, on request. But these containers are usually single-use packages. These are usually not recyclable and have a short life before going to landfill.

Bring Your Own Container for Leftover Food

Bringing your own reusable container when going out to eat is easy. It's an easy way to reduce waste.  A reusable container is less likely to leak or spill when transporting food home and is already in a convenient container to reheat for a future meal.

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Share Your Message Effectively

Try these strategies to help encourage your family, friends and co-workers to bring their own reusable containers.

Model the Behaviour
Show friends and family how you use your own reusable container to package up leftovers when out to eat. 

Make it Normal
Leave a clean container in your vehicle or bag for easy access, much like a reusable bag. Create the habit and it will be easy to make this practice part of eating out. 

Offer Timely Prompts
When planning to go out to eat with others, mention this idea to accompanying friends and family. Encourage them to join you with their reusable containers. 

Give Positive Feedback
"I really admire that you brought your own leftovers container out to eat today!"

Highlight the Benefits
Taking your own container to package up leftovers when out to eat is an easy way to reduce waste.

Visit edmonton.ca/waste

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