Tell One Friend: Reduce Holiday Food Waste

On average, about a quarter of Edmonton’s garbage is food waste. This amount increases significantly around the holidays, according to City waste audits. With the expectation of smaller gatherings this year, planning holiday meals is important in order to reduce food waste and not to prepare and purchase in excess. Reducing food waste starts at home. By making small changes you can divert food waste from landfill.

• Don’t buy more food than you need; have a plan.
  
• Choose a local butcher or produce supplier to buy from, when possible.
• Finish leftovers.
• Donate unused products to the local food bank.
• Get creative with leftovers, store or freeze food correctly and planning out meals all help to prevent holiday food waste.

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: Put Pizza Boxes in the Recycling

 The City asks Edmontonians to put pizza boxes in recycling, as long as there is only a reasonable amount of grease or residue.

• Please remove the little plastic table.

• Please remove the wax or paper liner.

• Please remove bits of food and cheese.

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Spread the Message

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

One Small Ask

“Will you remove the paper and the chunks after our pizza? Then I will put it in the recycling.”

Give Timely Prompts

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

 

Give Positive Feedback

"I heard you ordered pizza the other day. Thanks for recycling the boxes. How was the pizza?”

 

More Info

Visit www.edmonton.ca/recycling

Previous Tell One Friend: Eat Your Leftovers

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