In 2018, Canada’s population reached an estimated 37 million people; an increase of 8.1% compared to 2010. A growing population means more waste. Even with improved composting and recycling programs, most of what we throw away ends up buried underground.
Every year, Canadians produce 25 million tons of waste which ends up in dumps. These dumps produce 20% of our methane emissions (methane is a potent Greenhouse Gas).
Climate Change affects us all. This is why each and every one of us needs to be part of the solution. We need to change our behaviour by reducing our consumption, and we need to do our part to recycle and manage our waste. This way, the province’s dumps won’t be as full and the environmental costs, including our Greenhouse Gas emissions, will be reduced.
Here are 10 simple tricks you can use to be a more responsible consumer and reduce your waste:
- Reducing your consumption is the most important of the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). Reducing means refusing the items you don’t need, including plastic bags and cup lids, straws and other single-use items.
- When shopping, choose bulk products and avoid throwaway, overpackaged or individually portioned products.
- Always use reusable bags instead of plastic bags.
- Invest in quality durable objects that you can reuse several times, like a stainless steel water bottle.
- Extend the lifetime of your electronics, clothing and other items by repairing them.
- For home renovations, question the need to replace everything. Identify which materials can be repaired, reused and recycled.
- Avoid single-use products by using durable, multiple-use products such as crockery, utensils, razors, etc. Use tap water instead of bottled water.
- Bring your bottles and cans to the recycling depot.
- Sort your waste according to the 3-stream program: green (organics), blue (recyclables) and clear (everything else).
- Recycle used batteries by bringing them to one of the depots located in Kent County. As much as possible, try to use rechargeable batteries.
Interesting Links
Government of Canada - Managing and reducing waste
Government of Canada - Municipal solid waste and greenhouse gases
Kent Regional Services Commission-Solid Waste Services
Locations of the depots for recycling used batteries in Kent County
Canadian consumer guide-Responsible Waste Disposal
