Eco Stations - keeping hazardous waste and electronics out of landfills

On Friday, March 15, Edmonton's Eco Stations celebrated our 2 millionth customer.
Thank you for keeping 16,093,483 litres of household hazardous waste out of the landfill!

How did we celebrate? 

Watch: Councillor Don Iveson congratulates the 2 millionth customer

Councillor Don Iverson  presents Gilda Valli with her gift

The festivities haven't stopped.
Eco Stations will give away 2 million carrot seeds this year!

Garry, Gilda, and Don show off their carrot seeds

Garry showing 2 million carrot seeds, representing
the 2 millionth customer to Eco Stations

What happens to things you bring to the Eco Station?

Reused 

usable paint à segregated, stored for Paint Exchange

items in good condition à Reuse Area at Ambleside Eco Station

Recycled 

glycol (antifreeze) à reconditioned into new antifreeze

fluorescent tubes à crushed using a bulb crusher and processed at Custom Environmental facilities

PCB lamp ballasts à reclaimable components are recycled, the rest sent for incineration

dry-cell batteries à sent to Toxco and recycled
wet-cell batteries (e.g. car & truck batteries)

plastic casing à recycled into new battery casings

lead cores à recycled into new lead cores

battery acid à used to produce expanded polystyrene

rechargeable batteries à recycled

motor oil/oil filters à recycled by oil recycler

scrap metal (includes empty paint cans) à recycled by local scrap metal dealer

white goods (e.g. freezers, fridges, coolers) à hazardous components removed; remainder recycled

aerosol cans (partially full) à contents evacuated & recycled/disposed, canisters are recycled

propane/butane cylinders à contents evacuated & recycled/disposed, canisters are recycled

Composted

yard waste à sent to IPTF and composted. 

Safely Disposed 

unusable paint à sent to Alberta Special Waste Management Treatment Centre (Swan Hills)

large/bulky items in poor condition àsent to IPTF and landfilled

non-recyclable HHW & prescription medication à sent to Alberta Special Waste Management Treatment Centre (Swan Hills)

Eco Station attendant holds a phone which will
be sent to GEEP for electronic recycling

My Favourite Things About Eco Stations

• They keep household hazardous waste out of our garbage. That's especially important since organic waste is separated from garbage and composted.
• They make it possible to recycle electronics, batteries, motor oil, unusable paint, scrap metal, freezers, fridges, propane and butane cylinders, fluorescent tubes, and more! 
• Free stuff! You can find free paint at all Eco Stations. It's salvaged from usable paint dropped off by residents. The Reuse Area at Ambleside Eco Station saves household items in good condition from landfill. 

History in a Nutshell

• Eco Stations have been accepting Edmonton's computers, batteries, paint cans, couches, and much more from residents since 1995. 
• Strathcona and Coronation Eco Stations are converted spaces. They were originally used as transfer stations (where waste was taken, sorted, and moved again). 
• Ambleside was the first purpose-built Eco Station. Lessons learned from the existing facilities helped in the design of a super Eco Station. It boasts a Reuse Area, lots of room to drop-off, natural light, and beautiful art. 
• Planning is under way for a fourth Eco Station, to serve communities in Northeast Edmonton. 

For More Info

edmonton.ca/ecostations
Edmonton This Week (radio interview)

MCRs Being Social in the Winter

MCRs braved the cold to attend the 2013 MCR Winter Social with their friends and family. Thank you for the good company and the inspiration to make a difference in our communities.

Alyson, Rodney, and Kathy Cottee think about recycling

As an added treat we invited Kathy Cottee, manager of Quality One Training & Support Inc. Quality One manages staff who sort waste in the Integrated Processing & Transfer Facility (IPTF) and the Construction & Demolition Recycling Facility. Kathy aims to provide meaningful work for people who are hard to employ and help them develop work skills. She helped us understand that this has not been an easy task for her and her team. Quality One and the City of Edmonton try to give the sorters what they need to get the job done. By striving to find common ground, many Quality One employees achieve a higher level of accomplishment than they've ever felt.

Kathy captured the attention of us all

Kathy mentioned the 3 biggest problems for her staff. Here's how to help them out:

1. Medical Waste - Can be safely disposed of at any local pharmacy.
2. Pantyhose - Gets stretched and jams the machinery. Cut them up. 
3. VHS Tape - Gets caught up in conveyor belts and jams up machinery. Movies can be donated to many charities (see edmonton.ca/reusedirectory). Throw VHS tapes that can't be reused in the garbage, but you can tape them up. This helps make sure that they don't unroll. 

Evening at a Glance

As always, we can count on a delicious spread . Luckily, many MCRs also happen to be skilled in the kitchen 

Some dishes are extra creative, Laurie Taylor put peas in her muffins. Surprisingly scrumptious

Kathy accepts a few Fruits of Sherbrook jams as a thank you 

Two Karen's in the audience; Karen Kennedy on the left with her daughter, and Karen Lewis-Caron on the right 

Rodney leads us through a few activities 

Trudy, Mary-Jo, Alessandra, Elsie, and Will rack their brains as part of the challenge 

Garry checking out MCR highlights of 2012

A BIG thank you to

• Alyson, Herb, Christine, Cathie, Andrew, and Su for helping with set-up and clean-up. 
• Kathy Cottee for telling her story with Quality One and the people who sort our waste. 
• Cloverdale Community League for a great space to have our potluck.
• Monique for suggesting Cloverdale Community Hall on the MCR facebook group. 
• (Brenda, Jayne, Megan, Laurie, Karen, Hannah, and Pamela for suggesting other great venues.)
• Edmonton Valley Zoo, John Janzen Nature Centre, Community Services, The Reuse Centre, and Waste Management Services, and Mark (our favourite Compost Education Coordinator) for donating door prizes.