Urban Recycler Dishes the Dirt on Your Waste

Edmonton residents will start receiving important waste-handling information in their mail this week.

The Urban Recycler newsletter contains a useful one-page guide to help residents sort household waste into recycling, garbage, and Eco Station streams. Also included are tips about how to reduce your waste by grasscycling, donating items that can be reused, and recycling electronic waste by taking it to Eco Stations.

Have you been wondering what to do with your dead batteries? How about empty windshield washer bottles? Interested in booking a free tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre? The newsletter answers these and many more waste-related questions.

The Urban Recycler will be distributed during the week of April 28th. If you have not received it by May 12, call 311 to have a copy sent to you or download it from edmonton.ca/waste.

Compost Awareness Week

Compost Awareness Week is right around the corner! From May 3rd to 10th, we will celebrate composting and encourage Edmontonians to think differently about decomposition.

Since you're such a compost champion, we know you're wondering what you can do!
Here are five simple ideas to get you started:

1. Forward the "Keep Composting" newsletter to someone you know. Especially someone who might take the plunge into home composting.
2. Host a Compost Garden Party! Invite a friends and family over to show off your composting skills. Take time to answer questions, troubleshoot, and make composting fun and easy.
3. Tell a friend about Compost Awareness Week. Mention the 6 workshops where they can learn the basics.
4. Share some fun facts about composting on Twitter or facebook, along with a link to edmonton.ca/compost.
   OR
   Post a picture of waking up your compost to Instagram.
   Use #yegcompost.
5. Organize a Lunch n' Learn at your workplace - let us know how we can support you!

How do you plan on participating in Compost Awareness Week?
Leave a comment below to share your ideas.

The 2014 MCR Course begins...

The 2014 Course of Master Composter Recyclers has officially begun! 37 students are joining us this year, all eager to learn and spread the word about less-waste.

Veteran MCRs should remember this board!

Our first class began with the typical introductions. We learned about what it means to be an MCR and a little bit about how to deal with waste in Edmonton. Neil Burkard, educational program specialist at the EWMC, joined us to explain waste streams and provide an overview of the different processing systems used in our city.

Rodney talks volunteering

We jumped into the nitty-gritty on our second day, when Myles Curry came in to talk about Garbology. He gave us the run down on residential waste, including what's in it and why we focus on specific types of waste. Myles also talked about which kinds of waste reduction make the biggest differences. 

Who knew garbage could be so interesting?

Neil joined us again, this time to give us more detail on recycling. He talked about what goes in the blue bag, and how our systems and sorting processes at the MRF influence what we are able to recycle.

Day three saw some more familiar faces. Mark Stumpf-Allen gave us our introduction to the ick-factor of composting, with a primer on decomposition! MCR Christine W. came to give a presentation about worm composting, and led us through making our own worm bins!

Bins constructed. It's time to add the worms!

MCR Yoshie N. brought in her own bin and shared a little of her experience with worm composting at home and as a caretaker of the City Hall compost.

New "pets" for excited MCRs!

Three classes down, and so much more still to come!

Everyone in the class brings a wonderful spirit to the group. We are looking forward to seeing them out and actively promoting waste reduction in the community.

Earth Hour 2014

Earth Hour will be taking place this year on March 29th. Millions of people around the globe will turn off all their lights, from 8:30-9:30pm, to celebrate their commitment to the environment.

Will you be participating?

Earth Hour is more than just turning off the lights; it's a great opportunity to encourage waste reduction in other ways, too. It's a well known event, and it's a relatively small act that leaves most people more open to the idea of making other enviro-friendly changes. There's no reason for a less-waste attitude to end at the end of an hour, especially with a fantastic team of Master Composter Recycler volunteers ready and willing to help their friends and neighbours get into the spirit!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Host a zero-waste dinner party. Click here for tips and tricks.
• Pick a common disposable item you use often, and eliminate it from your life. For example, cut up some raggedy t-shirts to use for rags, and ditch the paper towel. Challenge your friends to do the same.
• Invite people over for a sustainability-themed movie night. Here's a list of popular "green themed" movies and documentaries. Make sure the movie ends in time for Earth Hour, and use that lights-off time to discuss the message.
• Give a presentation in your workplace, or set up a display in your lunch room. 

Got any great ideas for Earth Hour? Let us know in the comments!

Record MCR Volunteering

Edmonton is the Earth Hour Capital of Canada

Nation's sustainability leader chosen from three Canadian finalists.

The City of Edmonton has been crowned the Earth Hour Capital of Canada through the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour City Challenge, beating out two other Canadian finalists.

Edmonton was one of 33 finalist cities chosen by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for impressive actions on climate change. The international jury will now proceed with deliberations to also select a Global Earth Hour Capital.

“It is an incredible honour to have Edmonton selected as the Earth Hour Capital of Canada,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “Our sustainability efforts have been plentiful and it is reassuring to be recognized by the World Wildlife Fund for our environmental plans and initiatives.”

Edmonton’s The Way We Green action plan received high scores for its strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions and save money, while ramping up plans for renewable energy. The jury also recognized Edmonton for its ambitious vision of achieving a carbon neutral future.

“WWF congratulates Edmonton as this year’s Canadian Earth Hour City Challenge winner. The City’s innovative municipal action demonstrates the leadership our country can, and should aspire to on a national scale,” said David Miller, CEO and President, WWF-Canada.

Citizens can also help Edmonton become a winner by participating in the People’s Choice We Love Citiescampaign. People can vote for the City of Edmonton in a few ways up until March 20, 2014:
Post a picture on Twitter of your favourite thing about Edmonton with hashtag #weloveedmonton. There is no limit to the amount of Twitter votes per day.
Post a picture or video on Instagram of your favourite thing about Edmonton with hashtag #weloveedmonton. There is no limit to the amount of Instagram votes per day.
Vote by visiting welovecities.org/edmonton. One vote per day.

The awards for the national and global sustainability winners, as well as the We Love Cities campaign, will be presented at the Earth Hour City Challenge Conference and Awards Ceremony in Vancouver on March 27, 2014, which WWF organizes in conjunction with the international conference GLOBE 2014.

For more information visit: edmonton.ca/weloveedmonton