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)

Valentine's Day Contest: Share to Win

 

Valentine's Day, like many holidays, can be an event surrounded with over-consumption. As waste-aware Edmontonians, Master Composter Recyclers have great ideas to keep waste at a minimum while still making the holiday a special time.

Looking for inspiration? Check out Kristin's interview with the Weather Network. 

What are you doing to reduce your waste around this holiday? Submit your ideas to win a romantic dinner for two!

One MCR helped their Office Ecology Team organize a freecycle table to re-gift items for Valentine's Day. 

How do you reduce waste when you romance your Valentine?

To enter the contest:

• post a comment on this blog (below)
• post your suggestion on the MCR facebook group
• email mcrp@edmonton.ca
• call Rodney (780-496-5991) or Laura (780-496-5051)

What's the prize?
Win a $100 gift certificate for Live Local. You can this as a romantic dinner for two at:
          Accent Restaurant & Lounge
          Blue Plate Diner
          The Dish Bistro
          Sabor Divino Restaurant
          Upper Crust Cafe
          Wild Tangerine
Note:
This contest is only open to volunteers who are graduates of the Master Composter Recycler Program. Thank you for showing Edmontonians creative ways to reduce waste.

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.

Collection Made Easy

A notice will be mailed to all single family households starting January 14, to let residents know about the change to weekly collection starting February 5^th. The notice will inform residents of their collection day, which will remain the same year-round.

Have yourself a merry little MCR Holiday by MCR Suzanne Dennis

Christmas is just around the corner! How did THAT happen? Seems like just yesterday the 2012 MCR class graduated! 

I LOVE christmas, but HATE garbage. According to Statistics Canada,  900,000 tons of garbage is produced annually between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

That is REE-DONC-U-LOUS! 

Instead of buying more stuff, spending tons of money, and wasting our precious resources try some of these ideas:

keep it local

Save resources and support your friends & neighbours by shopping at local stores; good for the environment & the community.
live-local.ca

christmas cards

I don't send or use Christmas cards often, but when I do, I source them from Value Village. There are always bags of unused cards (with their envelopes), hanging on the wall. Never the same selection twice, so it’s kind of fun to see what you can get!  Who doesn’t "love the thrill" of the thrift store search? You can also get used cards from the Reuse Centre!
valuevillage.com

edmonton.ca/reuse

gift-wrap

I rarely use paper to wrap gifts, but if I do need some I source it from the Reuse Centre. It is simply amazing to me what people give away, & remember all you can carry for $5.
edmonton.ca/reuse

reused wrappers

Think outside the box for this one! I haven’t thrown a bag or container away since MCR graduation. 

• chip/cracker bags turned inside out make fantastic gift bags – shiny & festive
• any bag that contained foodstuff can be used again to give away homemade goodies….it is sort of fun to give away baking in a large rice bag for example!
•  jars of all shapes & sizes make great containers for my home-made goodies
• cool mailing containers from liquor sleeves
•  coffee cans scavenged from work make a great container once they are painted or papered

re-gifting & thrifting

I have NO PROBLEM re-gifting & thrifting presents for my family & friends.  I do realize this is a personal decision and I will state for the record that I would never re-gift/thrift with anyone and pretend it was new stuff; cuz that just sounds like a SEINFELD episode plot line!  Nothing tickles my fancy more than knowing my re-gift or thrift gift will make someone else happy J  ...and of course its saves me tons of $$$$!

 volunteer

Who needs more stuff anyway? Some of my best Christmas memories have been made while volunteering with family & friends to make someone else’s Christmas special. Collecting donations, serving a meal, and helping at food bank concerts are fun & festive volunteer opportunities.
christmasbureau.ca
theseed.ca/christmas-edmonton
salvationarmy.ca/alberta

 christmas light tour

The City of Edmonton has a FANTASTIC program where staff volunteers drive a bus around town to view Christmas light displays at candy cane lane, legislative grounds and the museum. Tickets are only a $3, fun & hi-jinx are free! Depending on the transit volunteers and your fellow passengers you could be involved in a Christmas carol sing-a-long, a stand-up comedy show, or a family style get-together complete with crazy aunts and snoring uncles.  Santa has even been known to make an appearance! Never the same tour twice, and great for all ages and mobilities. Bring your favourite beverage in a to-go cup, grab the gang and book a seat. 
edmonton.ca/transportation/ets/seasonal_events_attractions/ets-christmas-light-tours

gifts

I have made a pledge this year to give nothing but consumables. I know how to cook, so I am making foodie foodster gifts. I do wish I could knit, sew, craft, build, write, or carve something, but I will have to leave that you!

share a tree

If you live in a multi-family dwelling do you all need your OWN tree?  Of course you don’t!  Share with your neighbours and friends.  One tree per floor, one tree for the whole building, or better yet NO TREE at all!

reuse a tree

You can also find trees and ornaments at the Reuse Centre. If you don't want to store a tree all year donate it after the holidays and pick up different Reuse Centre tree each year.

 recycle that tree!

If you do have a tree please make sure that it is recycled properly. Did you know: approximately 13,456 trees, weighing 167 tons, were collected for recycling in January 2012. The trees were chipped and composted at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.
edmonton.ca/christmastrees

  

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year – but unfortunately also the most wasteful.

"time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. you can make more money, but you can't make more time. when you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back.  that is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.”

quote from Rick Warren, (author of A Purpose Driven Life – What on Earth am I Here For)

I wish for you a very Happy Holiday, wonderful times with your friends, family & neighbours, and minimal contribution to our landfill. 

@redworm_mama

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City of Edmonton Master Composter Recycler 2012, (#yegmcr) doing my best 2 reuse, recycle, reduce, & compost while I raise my #yeg redworm family!