Businesses Invited to Tap into "Circular Economy"

Is your business keen to reduce waste and boost efficiency? Or close loops in production and tap into new markets? Join the City of Edmonton, along with the National Zero Waste Council and the Recycling Council of Alberta for a business luncheon and learning opportunity. Prominent corporate social responsibility expert, Coro Strandberg, will share tips for incorporating circular approaches to business strategy, design innovation and stakeholder engagement. She will also share the National Zero Waste Council’s new Circular Economy Business Toolkit. Date:  Tuesday, November 15 , 2016  Time:  11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.   Location:   Heritage Room, City Hall Cost: Free of charge; Pre-registration required Register to reserve your spot, as space is limited!

WasteWise Top Ten

WasteWise, our sorting app, launched roughly one month ago. To date, the app has been downloaded over 4,000 times, and over 31,000 item searches have been made.

We know that some items cause a lot of confusion for residents. WasteWise is a quick source of answers, and also provides us with up-to-date data on which items Edmontonians need to know about.

We pulled together the top ten most-searched items. Test yourself, and test your friends!
Do you know where these items go? 

1. Pizza box - 905 hits
2. Shredded paper - 624 hits
3. Styrofoam - 595 hits
4. Plastic wrap - 511 hits
5. Plastic take-out container - 467 hits
6. Plastic bag - 463 hits
7. Plastic container - 427 hits
8. Aluminum foil - 398 hits
9. Metal food can - 376 hits
10. Styrofoam egg carton - 351 hits

Stumped? Check your WasteWise app for the answers!
WasteWise on Google Play or iTunes.

Did you know?

Users can also suggest search terms if they don't find what they're looking for. Some of the most interesting suggestions include "Donald Trump," "ex-boyfriend," and "ten pin bowling ball."

2016 Volunteer Appreciation Event

Thank you for joining us at our 2016 Volunteer Appreciation Event on October 5th!

Volunteers and staff from the Master Composter Recycler and Reuse Centre volunteer programs gathered at the Royal Alberta Museum building for an evening of food, fun and activities. There was even live music, provided by Bailey Sutton on guitar and vocals.

Volunteers and their guests enjoyed a delicious spread of food and fresh popcorn while they mingled and created their own brooches at our reuse crafting table. Others took home a caricature from artist Laurel Hawkswell, or let their wild sides show with costumes and accessories at the NEAT Photo Booth. 

Special thanks to MCR Gordon D. for taking photos of the event!

Volunteers and their guests enjoyed lively conversation with their colleagues and got the chance to catch up with staff from Utility Services.

Volunteers got crafty, making brooches, hair pieces, and boutonnieres from Reuse Centre materials.

Doug Jones, Deputy City Manager for City Operations, came out to thank volunteers for their hard work and dedication to making Edmonton a sustainable city. 

The caricature artist was a hit! She didn't stop drawing all night, and several volunteers took home their cartoon likenesses. Here, she catches a smiling Dean and Olivia. 

Dean Wyman is the Director of Operations at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. He was on hand to thank volunteers on behalf of Utility Services.

What's an event without door prizes? 10 lucky winners took home Reuse Centre gift baskets. 

Congratulations to Guy S., Ranga K., Gordon D., and Nikki T., who all received their certificates for completing 35 hours of MCR volunteering.

Three masked menaces let out their inner animals! Scroll down for some more of our favourite shots from the photo booth.

Thank you again for joining us! We had a lot of fun and we hope you did, too!

 

Are You WasteWise?

Life's not easy, but sorting your waste can be.

Visit Google Play or Apple's App Store to download WasteWise, our brand new app! Get all of the answers to your most burning waste-sorting questions, any time, anywhere, for free.

No smartphone? No problem. WasteWise is also available to use on edmonton.ca/waste.

Thank you to all of the Master Composter Recycler volunteers who helped out during our testing phase!

We're really excited about this app!

Edmontonians play an essential role in our waste system, with 93 per cent of residents reporting that they recycle. However, there is still room for improvement. Significant amounts of garbage end up in the recycling and vice versa.

Download WasteWise and test your waste-sorting knowledge with our game.

Residents have shown a clear desire for more information about waste sorting. We recognize it can be challenging to know What Goes Where, especially for newcomers. This tool provides an easy, consistent and highly accessible source of information.

WasteWise takes the guesswork out of recycling. The app provides waste collection reminders and seasonal messages. It even has a fun, educational waste-sorting game!

Try out WasteWise and spread the news. Share your experience by using the hashtag #WasteWiseYEG on social media.

Keep an eye out for our posters, and listen for our radio ads!

All images provided by the City of Edmonton

Musings of a Practicum Student

Photo provided by Linda

My name is Linda. I am a student from Campbell College, and I am currently near the end my practicum with the Master Composter Recyclers, Utility Services, City of Edmonton.

Image source: seourpicz

I have lived in Edmonton for three years now, and I honestly had very limited knowledge of waste management. While I was searching for a possible placement host for my Campbell College practicum, I saw a posting from the MCR program. I believed this would be a good experience for me, so I applied. When I came for an interview with Rodney and Sarah, Rodney asked me how I discard a used battery and I told him, “I throw it in the black bag with the rest of the garbage.”  Well, my answer was definitely not the right one, but this is one of the things I have learned.

I had a chance to tour the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, and it was a wonderful experience. I also went to see the Reuse Centre, and this too was an eye opener because I saw beautiful crafts made of supposedly garbage materials. All these experiences make me feel very proud to be part of a community that has the technology as well as the motivation to make sure that waste is reduced and managed properly.

I asked myself, “Why did I not see all these pieces of information before?” I realized it is because I did not take the time to learn anything about waste management. The information has always been available, and all I needed to do was search.

As part of my practicum, we are required to go back to school for two days to share our experiences and things that we have learned. I managed to talk a little bit about recycling and going bagless when mowing lawns. During my presentation, someone asked if pizza boxes are recyclable. There was a discussion and I knew the answer! I told them, “Pizza boxes are recyclable, depending on the amount of cheese and oil that stained the box.”

This experience showed me that people are actually very receptive to the idea of recycling. Even a little information can initiate responses, and it is how we respond to those queries or point people in the right direction that we can encourage them to engage in a deeper discussion.  This reminds me of our MCR volunteers, who are continuously dedicating time, energy, and effort to teach others about waste.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS!

I am indeed very grateful for the opportunity to work in this section because it gave me a different understanding on reducing, recycling, and reusing waste. My family has accepted the concept as well and we are now actually recycling. I truly believe that waste management plays a big role towards that goal, and being able to make a difference in the preservation of nature is a wonderful thing.

Image source: Keyword-suggestions.com