Hey everyone. Last week on the show we discussed recycling and compost and why its so important to do. Recycling in the Kitchener-Waterloo region is a proud tradition since the first ever Blue Box program started in Kitchener in 1983. A pilot project for a curbside recycling program was being tested. The test area households were provided with boxes branded with “WE RECYCLE.” The recycling boxes were coloured blue as they were easier to see on the curb. Blue was also an attractive colour and it was easily available from the supplier. The size of the box was selected to ensure that it would not be stolen by university students to hold record albums! The program was a big hit: requests for boxes came in from all over the City.
Recycling is the process of changing waste materials into new products to prevent the waste of potentially useful materials . This helps to reduce pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Compost is organic waste. It decomposes and is recycled as fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming and can be useful for many other things such as erosion control, land and stream reclamation, landfill cover, and wetland construction.
So why is it so important to recycle and why does everyone make such a big deal about it?
We will eventually run out of resources.
We are operating at a net loss.
Going to run out of space to hide our trash.
Already having landfill problems.
Pollution.
Destroying more habitats and natural environments.
Here are a few facts to show you how important recycling is!
- 1. A single recycled tin can(like a pop can) would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours!
- 2. Each tone of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 KW of energy, and 7000 gallons of water!
- 3. About 16% of the money spent on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up in the trash!
- 4. Incinerating 10 tones of waste creates 1 job while in a landfill the same amount of waste creates 6 jobs, but when recycling the same amount, it creates 36 jobs!
Here in the region, garbage, recycling and compost are collected weekly, even on holidays except for Christmas day and New Years day. Waterloo Waste Management is committed to excellent, responsive service while reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Check out their website for information about booking a tour to learn more!
Laurier is committed to reducing the universities waste diverted to landfill and overall waste generation. There are great waste diversion programs in place and the implementation of comingled recycling helped to make recycling easier for students.
Our artist last week was Daniel Moir. He is an up and comer from British Columbia who recently released his 3rd album called Monday Morning. His folky music can be downloaded from iTunes which is where he prefers his fans to get ahold of his tunes as opposed to buying the traditional CD because of the waste that they cause. Not only is he encouraging his fans to download his new album online or purchase recyclable download cards, he is donating one dollar from every album sold to Ecojustice.
Here is an interesting article about prehistoric recycling: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/were-prehistoric-cavemen-the-world-s-first-recyclers-1.1493382
Question of the week: Do you remember when your family first started recycling? Let us know what your family thought about the Blue Box when they first started using it.
Don’t forget recycling helps conserve limited resources. Recycling also saves energy, creates jobs, and helps build a strong economy. And it reduces problems associated with litter and trash.
Thanks for listening, follow us on twitter @NPollution and like our FaceBook page. Tune in next time to Noise Pollution, you’re source for environmental knowledge and eco friendly facts!
Good Luck with midterms!