This is Waste Reduction Week and the provincial government is reminding residents to help protect the environment through waste-reduction measures.
A national initiative, Waste Reduction Week is held each year to encourage Canadians to reduce the amount of waste they generate in their daily lives.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, about 480,000 tonnes of waste are placed into landfills every year. This is about two kilograms per person per day.
Environment and Conservation Minister Charlene Johnson said government is committed to developing long-term waste management solutions.
"Through the provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy, waste in Newfoundland and Labrador is being managed in a more environmentally responsible manner, and we are dedicated to reducing the amount of waste going to our landfills by 50 per cent," she said.
The Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) has embarked upon a major public education and awareness campaign under the Get to Half umbrella to encourage Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to do more to reduce waste at home, work and school as a means of protecting the environment. The Get to Half public education campaign was developed to encompass all aspects of waste reduction and heighten awareness by providing simple, everyday solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle.
"Many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians already recycle, but we encourage everyone to think about the broader picture - waste reduction," said John Scott, chairman and CEO of MMSB. "We encourage residents of the province to consider what they are throwing away and what simple changes they can make to their daily routine to reduce waste. And we encourage individuals, businesses and others to contact the MMSB to find out more on how they can make a difference on this front."
For more information on how to reduce waste, visit www.mmsb.nl.ca , call 709-753-0948, or toll-free at 1-800-901-MMSB (6672). The national Waste Reduction Week website can be accessed at www.wrwcanada.com.
Residents encouraged to reduce waste
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- greg
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:34:32
Residents asked to reduce waste to protect the environment by same Minister who approves a toxic stew in a fresh water pond at Long Hr. What great satire. Too bad Fellini is dead!
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- Tim
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:32:49
We need to show King Danny that he can make a buck or two doing this then look out. He will be adding taxes to go into his perk package. Oh, sorry, start-up costs since he will fail to inform us of how much revenue would be generated by a properly run program in the province.
This government cares not to protect and advance, only to take and to use. Look at where renewable energy is in the province. Where are the incentives that the province collects from the federal government for ewnewable energy? Try to apply for a rebate for installing renewable energy in the province and see what you are told.
Where is the provincial government when it comes to pushing Newfoundland Power on Net Metering? They are too worried about generating dirty power to sell to the consumer at a inflated profit.
Oh well, more people need to do it alone and get off the grid and use what they have to protect the planet and future I guess. Even a small amount counts, and guess what, it is money in your pocket and not into the provincial coffers.
:-) Na na na na na! -
- ali
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:25:47
Newfoundland is so far behind when it comes to recycling!
It's almost impossible to get to half...we try and try....we compost and recycle everything we can, but with no curbside recycling program, no seperation of dry and wet garbage, and the lack of easily available cardboard recycling it's almost impossible.
One bag a week is made up of broken down cardboard from all the packaging that comes home from the grocery store.
Even if we could recycle soup cans and plastic bottles from laundry, vinegars, etc....imagine how much we would cut down on! It's time to pump some serious $$$$ into recycling, especially the way St. John's is growing. (I'm sure it'll be another fee added to our property taxes) -
- Janet
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:23:58
My hometown is St.John's NL and have lived in Mississauga for 14 yrs. My garbage is collected on a weekly basis and we usually have less than one(1) bag of garbage(that goes to landfills) and a minimum of 3 recycle boxes that are picked up at curbside. We also recycle wet waste that is picked up at curbside and used for composting. It still amazes me each time I go home the amount of garbage that is on the curb each day - this is not waste management. It is the responsibility of everyone to recyle however it is also the responsibility of all levels of government to come up with a plan for a recycling program that makes it eas to recycle and that would work for all residents.
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- June
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:16:11
I use Atlantic Blue Recycling here in St John's. And while I pay for the service monthly, about $20, it's not that expensive when you consider the money we waste on coffee etc everyday. They take all kinds of products you can't recycle at the depots here in the city, and I am supporting someone trying to earn a living. They also have a regular pick up schedule right at your door. We should all be recycling, no excuses! Take the initiative, you don't have to wait for the province or the city/town you live in to make it easy...really people, it's not that hard to recycle. It just takes a bit of effort. I think the problem is most people are too lazy and could care less, and would rather put stuff in a garbage can than a blue recycling container. That's too bad for our environment, really sad.
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- james
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:14:26
All I can say is make it way way more easier for people to recycle. If people got to go out of their way to do something or wait in lines for an hour. It is just not going to happen.
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- Frances
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:10:17
We went to our local recycling depot recently and had to not only wait about an hour to be served, but we had to fight wasps that were all over the building and I'm talking inside. There were only 3 people serving the public and on a Saturday I think this should be stepped up a bit. I don't know how they can work there in those conditions, they were swiping away at the wasps too. I agree with James, make it easier to recycle - an hour waiting and fighting wasps makes it really, really hard to think of the environment other than the one you are struggling in at the moment.
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- greg
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:23:51
Residents asked to reduce waste to protect the environment by same Minister who approves a toxic stew in a fresh water pond at Long Hr. What great satire. Too bad Fellini is dead!
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- Tim
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:21:51
We need to show King Danny that he can make a buck or two doing this then look out. He will be adding taxes to go into his perk package. Oh, sorry, start-up costs since he will fail to inform us of how much revenue would be generated by a properly run program in the province.
This government cares not to protect and advance, only to take and to use. Look at where renewable energy is in the province. Where are the incentives that the province collects from the federal government for ewnewable energy? Try to apply for a rebate for installing renewable energy in the province and see what you are told.
Where is the provincial government when it comes to pushing Newfoundland Power on Net Metering? They are too worried about generating dirty power to sell to the consumer at a inflated profit.
Oh well, more people need to do it alone and get off the grid and use what they have to protect the planet and future I guess. Even a small amount counts, and guess what, it is money in your pocket and not into the provincial coffers.
:-) Na na na na na! -
- ali
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:12:19
Newfoundland is so far behind when it comes to recycling!
It's almost impossible to get to half...we try and try....we compost and recycle everything we can, but with no curbside recycling program, no seperation of dry and wet garbage, and the lack of easily available cardboard recycling it's almost impossible.
One bag a week is made up of broken down cardboard from all the packaging that comes home from the grocery store.
Even if we could recycle soup cans and plastic bottles from laundry, vinegars, etc....imagine how much we would cut down on! It's time to pump some serious $$$$ into recycling, especially the way St. John's is growing. (I'm sure it'll be another fee added to our property taxes) -
- Janet
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:09:14
My hometown is St.John's NL and have lived in Mississauga for 14 yrs. My garbage is collected on a weekly basis and we usually have less than one(1) bag of garbage(that goes to landfills) and a minimum of 3 recycle boxes that are picked up at curbside. We also recycle wet waste that is picked up at curbside and used for composting. It still amazes me each time I go home the amount of garbage that is on the curb each day - this is not waste management. It is the responsibility of everyone to recyle however it is also the responsibility of all levels of government to come up with a plan for a recycling program that makes it eas to recycle and that would work for all residents.
-
- June
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:56:04
I use Atlantic Blue Recycling here in St John's. And while I pay for the service monthly, about $20, it's not that expensive when you consider the money we waste on coffee etc everyday. They take all kinds of products you can't recycle at the depots here in the city, and I am supporting someone trying to earn a living. They also have a regular pick up schedule right at your door. We should all be recycling, no excuses! Take the initiative, you don't have to wait for the province or the city/town you live in to make it easy...really people, it's not that hard to recycle. It just takes a bit of effort. I think the problem is most people are too lazy and could care less, and would rather put stuff in a garbage can than a blue recycling container. That's too bad for our environment, really sad.
-
- james
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:53:21
All I can say is make it way way more easier for people to recycle. If people got to go out of their way to do something or wait in lines for an hour. It is just not going to happen.
-
- Frances
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:46:11
We went to our local recycling depot recently and had to not only wait about an hour to be served, but we had to fight wasps that were all over the building and I'm talking inside. There were only 3 people serving the public and on a Saturday I think this should be stepped up a bit. I don't know how they can work there in those conditions, they were swiping away at the wasps too. I agree with James, make it easier to recycle - an hour waiting and fighting wasps makes it really, really hard to think of the environment other than the one you are struggling in at the moment.
