Tell One Friend: Use a Blue Bag (not a blue box)

The City of Edmonton has encouraged blue bags for picking up recycling at the curb for many years. This year, 2020, Bylaw 18590 requires Edmontonians to put recyclables in blue bags if they want these collected at their house. Do not put items in blue boxes because it won’t be picked up.

Did you know…

Edmonton has THREE systems for recyclable items:

1. Blue bags for curbside pick-up For single-unit residences, like houses, duplexes, and some townhomes.
2. Blue bins for multi-unit buildings. Like apartments and condos.
3. Community Recycling Depots for drop-off For all local residents and small businesses.

Why blue bags?

Curbside pick-up is the easiest disposal for Edmonton residents. Blue bags are VERY helpful and that’s why most Edmontonians already use them. Blue bags:

• Protect from rain and snow, keeping items dry.
• Protect from wind, preventing litter.
• Are easy to grab for customers and waste collectors.
• Hold a lot of recycling and keep it tidy.
• Keep waste collectors moving efficiently on their route.

What about little blue boxes? Are there other options?

Waste collectors will give notices to residents who are still using blue boxes. Later in fall, waste collectors will only pick up blue bags.

Edmontonians can still use one of the 19 Community Recycling Depots across the city. They are efficient, accessible and blue bags are optional.

Blue boxes were introduced thirty years ago and they’ve outlived their usefulness for holding recyclables. They make curbside pick-up slow and inefficient. Boxes also expose paper and cardboard to rain, snow and wind. This makes the material less recyclable and causes litter.

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Spread the Message

Try these tactics to encourage friends, family, neighbours and co-workers.

Model the Behaviour

Set out your recycling in a blue bag AND make your blue bag visible. OR Tell a friend or post on social media when you take items to a Recycling Depot.

One Small Ask

Would you try setting out your recycling in a blue bag for one month?

Give Timely Prompts

“You said that you’re ordering pizza. Don’t forget to recycle the boxes; just remove the chunks.”

 

Give Positive Feedback

"Thanks for using a blue bag to set out your recycling. Did you know that almost everyone already uses blue bags for recycling?”

 

More Info

Visit www.edmonton.ca/recycling

Previous Tell One Friend: Put Pizza Boxes in the Recycling

Tell One Friend: Eat Your Leftovers

Leftover food is just as nutritious and delicious as when it was freshly made. Leftovers can even be prepared purposefully as part of your weekly meal plan.

• Consider how to make leftovers easy to find and to use. 
• Use transparent containers and label them. Keep a marker near the fridge.
• Putting leftovers in single meal-size containers makes them easy to pack for a meal on the go. 
• Dedicate meals throughout the week to leftovers. 
• Make other meals using leftover ingredients (e.g. roasted veggies or grilled chicken), such as soups, salads, casseroles, sandwiches and more!

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Spread the Message

Try these tactics to encourage friends, family, neighbours and co-workers.

Model the Behaviour

Share your eating leftovers plan with people you live with, friends, family and neighbours. Comment on the benefits of saving time, money and reducing food waste. 

One Small Ask

Would you commit to eating leftovers as part of your weekly meal plan?

Offer Timely Prompts

When talking to family, friends and neighbours about lawns or outdoor chores, mention how cutting grass can be more efficient. 

Give Positive Feedback

"I liked your social media post about eating your leftovers.”

Visit www.edmonton.ca/foodwaste

Previous Tell One Friend: Make it Safe to Reach Your Trash

Tell One Friend: Make it Safe to Reach your Trash

Waste collectors lift and toss thousands of tonnes of garbage, every day. Edmontonians can keep collectors safe and moving by making it easy to reach your trash.

 

• Place cans and bags as close to the street or alley as possible.
• Do NOT put cans or bags on top of or behind piles of dirt.
• Keep garbage stands open and accessible from the front.

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Spread the Message

Try these tactics to encourage friends, family, neighbours and co-workers.

Model the Behaviour

Put your own garbage cans and bags out early and properly. Your neighbours will follow your example.  

One Small Ask

“I’ll share this link with you about waste collection. Will you take just three minutes to check it out? I’ll send it now. It’s edmonton.ca/wastecollection”.

Offer Timely Prompts

When talking to family, friends and neighbours about lawns or outdoor chores, mention how cutting grass can be more efficient. 

Give Positive Feedback

"I like how your garbage stand is open from the front. That makes it easy, fast, and safe for our waste collector to pick up cans and bags." or "I saw that you put your garbage can next to the curb for our waste collector. That’s helpful."

Visit edmonton.ca/wastecollection

Previous Tell One Friend: Go Bagless to Reduce Yard Waste

Changing Waste Behaviour: How to Shift Social Norms

Care.org perfectly outlines how to shift social norms. Changing waste behaviour is exactly that; changing the norms that society operates in. The best way to influence individuals and social norms is my by using multiple tactics.

You can read the original article here. Based on change.org's article, shifting social norms in terms of changing waste behaviour is outlined below.

1. Find early adopters; often, people are already living their lives in positive ways that support progressive change, such as waste reduction. Find them. 
2. Build support groups of early adopters. Use your MCR colleagues for support and encouragement. there's power in numbers. 
3. Use future-orientated positive messages: Help people imagine positive alternatives. Change is possible. 
4. 4. Open space for dialogue: get people talking to each other about new ideas. Challenge the implicit assumptions that everyone holds the same views, experiences and preferences.
5. Facilitate public debate: engage publicly with community members to debate in what is considered OK in the context.
6. Expect by-stander action: Move from envisioning possibilities of justice to action. this involves building community and accountability, so that people are willing to do more to reduce their waste, starting with one small ask or action.
7. Show examples of positive behaviour in public: Demonstrate that the positive shift we hope for already exists and that it's totally normal.
8. Map allies and ask for their support: Identify the resources and networks we need to support positive change for individuals, families and communities.

Source: Social Norms Change

 

Tell One Friend: Wasteless Holidays

The holiday season is filled with decorations, parties and presents, but all this festivity can lead to an increase in waste. In fact, in the two weeks following December 25, the City of Edmonton collects almost twice the amount of waste compared to early December.

There are many ways to reduce waste during the holidays this year, including:

• Planning out festive feasts to reduce leftovers, and send food home with guests.
• Giving waste-friendly gifts, like experiences.
• Decorating for lasting memories by picking quality decorations, or making your own with items from the Reuse Centre.
• Recycling right! Use WasteWise to determine what waste can be recycled, online at edmonton.ca/waste or download the app.

Find more great tips at edmonton.ca/wastelessholidays!
Share how you are reducing your holiday waste by using the hashtag #WastelessHolidays and you could win prizes! To enter retweet, share or comment on a City of Edmonton Wasteless Holidays post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Read through our contest rules to make sure your entry counts. 
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Share Your Message Effectively
Try these tip to connect with friends, family, neighbours and co-workers. 

Model the Behaviour

Show friends and family how you put your wasteless holiday tips and tricks to action. 

Make it Normal

Post photos on social media documenting your wasteless holiday traditions.

Offer Timely Prompts

Encourage your friends and family to share their wasteless holidays tips and tricks on social media. Encourage them to enter the social media contest too!

Give Positive Feedback
"You're helping to reduce holiday waste this year, great job!"

Visit edmonton.ca/wastelessholidays

Previous Tell One Friend: Reduce Holiday Food Waste

  

What Behaviours to Choose?

Another installment about Effective MCR Conversations

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."

~ Erica Jong

We all have an idea in the back of our mind about what behaviours we want our friends, family, and neighbours to adopt. But first, it's important to find the most realistic option for them!

What would be most successful?

With this in mind, ask ourselves: How do we select behaviours that we target for a friend or neighbour to do?

Step One: Listen

Yes, it sounds too simple, but listening to our audience is sooo important! Consider them for who they are and what is realistic for them.

Step Two: Come up with one small ask

No... NOT two asks. Look for an ask that is:

1. Non-Divisible: It cannot be divided into multiple actions.
2. End-State: Will this action lead directly to the outcome, or will they have to do something else?
   
   For example, one small ask could be "program a programmable thermostat." (Not purchasing it and not installing it, but programming it.)
   Once they program the thermostat, we know that leads directly to less energy used

Step Three: Make sure your ask has...

1. High Impact: Something that will make the most difference.
2. High Probability: Something they are likely to do.
3. Low Penetration: Something that they are not already doing.

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Example: Use less single-use plastic bags

1. Well... just listen.
2. One small ask: Bring a reusable grocery bag into the store. (non-divisible and end-state)
3. Make sure your ask has:
• High Impact: Most single-use plastic bags are grocery bags. So yes, this works on grocery bags.
• High Probability: IF they bring reusable bags into the store, there is a high chance that they will use them. So, yes.
• Low Penetration: No, not many people are already doing it.

Alex V. is a recent graduate from The King’s University where she graduated with a BSc. in Environmental Studies and Biology, and a Certificate of Education and the Environment. She is enthusiastic about anything related to waste reduction and living sustainably and loves sharing her tips and tricks with the community around her.

More "Effective MCR Conversations"

Previous What are the Competing Behaviours?

MCR Success Stories in September, 2019

Future Waste Reduction Specialists
MCR Rebecca chatted with children about waste. She especially loved when the children took over the conversation about improved waste behaviour; this gave her the feeling that the future of the city will be great.




How to Compost in Castle Downs
MCRs Mildred, Angela and Natasha taught local residents how to start composting at home. This workshop was hosted by Councillor Jon Dziadyk.






Vermi-Composting Success
MCR Kit provided compost support to a family and assisted them to set up a worm bin to start vermi-composting.

Wasteless Movie Night 
MCR Christine T. hosted a movie night and a conversations about waste discussion panel for about 20 participants. They watched and talked about the movie WALL-E. MCRs Mila, Craig, Tony, Line, Alan and Margo helped organize the event and spoke during the panel discussion. Team effort!

More Trees Please

On August 21, MCRs planted trees in Mill Creek Ravine along Hazeldean neighbourhood.
They planted 214 trees in total. Way to go MCRs!

 

For more information: visit edmonton.ca/mcrp

 

MCR Success Stories in August, 2019

Waste Wise Block Party

MCR-in-Training Jarett S. hosted a Waste Wise Block party for 25 people. He talked to his neighbours about going bagless and how to recycle right.

Vermicomposting Demo Success

MCR Barb N.: "I do these demos every year at Victoria school. I have also started a worm bin in the biology classroom. Some teachers want to start zero waste lunch program next year."

Persistent about Waste Reduction

At her workplace, MCR Mila P. was asked to send regular emails to employees about small things they can do to make a difference. That's hundreds of employees.
In fact, she was asked "please don't stop."

Plant a Row, Grow a Row

MCR Lindsay M. reminded everyone that she helped Edmonton's Food Bank start the Grow a Row program, circa 1995. That program eventually became Plant a Row, Grow a Row.

All Smiles at the Reuse Centre

MCRs Wendy, Sulav, Antonietta, and Norma modeled for photos at the Reuse Centre.

Workplace Waste Audit

"Since April, I had been having separate chats with co-workers about my involvement in the MCR program and my passion for vermicomposting. Then the general manager heard about my involvement and asked me if we can do something in the office to reduce waste.
This July, we have already started the process for a waste audit." - MCR Roberto M.

Way to Go, MCR Laurie O!

"A couple was out shopping and the woman went to sort her cup for garbage or for recycling. She put the single-use cup in the garbage container, but she also said, "well, I guess it could go in the recycling..." I bumped into that conversation and informed them that single-use cups (compostable or not) should go into the garbage. The couple then said, 'you learn something new everyday.' "

MCR Success Stories in July, 2019

Plastic Free July

Hayley R. made an impact on social media by posting about #plasticfreejuly. Hayley had many offline conversations about reducing waste, specifically plastic as a result.

Home Composting...Ready, Set, Go!

Joe L. helped friends set up a home composter and got them started with home composting their kitchen scraps.

Session Success

Alan, Tony & Craig delivered a session on composting to the City of Edmonton Forestry team. They covered science of composting, set up worm bins and shared tips on effective gardening.

MCR Munch & Mulch

MCRs and their guests came out to Compost 'S cool this past weekend to learn about 5 ways to deal with grass, leaves, and plants... but not "compost." We finished up with Compost 'S cool pictionary. The weather was beautiful, snacks were delicious and the company fabulous as always!