Winter 2011
Waste Reduction Newsletter
Volume 15, Double Issue
News Near You Dawson Creek
Fort St. John
Brown’s Social House Takes Green Initiatives
Shed New Light on Energy Savings In an effort to provide business services that offer positive payback to owners, NEAT is adding energy audits to existing waste assessments through an innovative partnership with LiveSmart BC.
Brown’s Social House opened it’s doors in Dawson Creek on June 14, 2011. Since that time, business has been positive, and so has it’s environmental consciousness. The restaurant recycles all bottles, plastics, paper and cardboard. Employees take bottles and plastics to the Dawson Creek Recycling Depot. Cardboard and paper are picked-up by DT Disposal. The net result is a significant drop in waste headed to the landfill from your dining experience! You can take your left-overs home with a green piece of mind: take -out containers are made of 100% recycled paper board! Brown’s Social House stocks it’s shelves with 4 sizes of “Bio-Plus Earth” containers made by Fold-Pak. This packaging uses a minimum of 35% post-consumer reclaimed paper. Although the soup bowls are not made of recycled material, they are compostable. When dining in Dawson Creek, be sure to check your containers for the recycling triangle. A quick rinse & a toss in the composter or recycling bin could continue your favourite restaurant’s green initiatives.
Current waste assessments offer waste reduction recommendations based around the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle hierarchy. Helping businesses make positive purchasing and policy decisions means less waste to dispose of later. The LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program provides business owners with an in-depth snapshot of their energy usage and recommends practical changes that increase the bottom line. NEAT has a trained Business Energy Adviser on staff that is dedicated to reducing waste from small businesses by saving energy. The assessment process is easy, involving an onsite walkthrough which identifies inefficiencies within the building. Do you qualify? Privately owned and operated business located in BC? Spend less than $50 000 on energy (electricity & gas) per year? Operate a commercial energy account? Located in an existing building (not a new building)? If you have wanted to reduce your waste or energy bills and increase your profit but were never sure where to start, we can help. Call NEAT at 250-785-6328 or email jennifer@neat.ca.
Chetwynd A Blue Christmas It’ll be a ‘blue’ Christmas for those receiving food hampers this year in Chetwynd. Instead of delivering hampers in boring old laundry baskets (who wants to be reminded they have more laundry to do?), NEAT came up with the idea to put the food in blue box recycling bins. The bins are a good size for the food & will be functional for years to come. Eco-Advisor, Jen Brocke, said, “Right away, I thought of the blue bins. One of the barriers to recycling is that people don’t have the necessary ‘equipment’ to do so. It brightens peoples’ Christmas with the food & also encourages people to put their recyclables in them & take them to the Lion’s Recycling!” Karen Stewart called NEAT in October to say she was still interested. NEAT priced out bins from all over Canada but found the best deal at Canadian Tire in Dawson Creek. Because both NEAT & the Christmas Bureau are non-profit organizations, it was important to not only find the best price, but also to find a business to sponsor some of the cost. “This is a very important cause & I’m more than happy to help out” says Julia Nelson, Manager of the Pomeroy Inns & Suites. It was during a Chamber Luncheon which Jen & Julia both attended that the idea was put forth for the Pomeroy to help sponsor this project. Their generous $500.00 donation covered half the costs!
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pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling
RECYCLING AROUND THE PEACE Regional Recycling Program
Recycling Locations
This chart lists material collected through the regional recycling program. Material
How to Prepare
Newspaper Newspapers Flyers
Separate bin at depots
All Inserts
Dry Clean Shredded Paper in bags
Office Paper Envelopes
Plastic containers, bags and milk cartons
Yogurt tubs, ice cream pails Detergent bottles, milk jugs/cartons Plastic bags, shrink wrap etc.
Tin cans and aluminum foil
with paper )
Flatten cans
Cardboard and Boxboard
Providing on & off-site services, Recycle-It Resource Recovery, effectively processes wood, drywall, cardboard & aggregate materials, such as concrete blocks, bricks, tiles, porcelain, & asphalt. Plastics & metals are separated & taken to designated recyclers. Their services recycle 90% of the waste from a residential construction site; the other 10% is disposed of without requiring a separate dumpster. New Services Available: EZ-Dumpster Bags– 6yd Drawstring Dumpster Bags EZ-Washout– Concrete Washout System Lead Acid Battery Recycling Waste Management Coordination For more information, call 250-785-1114 or visit recycleonsite.ca
No Frills ( Extra Foods ) , Wal-Mart, Transfer Station Hudson ’ s HopeShop Easy Foods
Mile 62.5 Transfer Station Moberly LakeAdjacent to Fire Hall Pouce CoupeElementary School Rose PrairieCurling rink
Taylor
Willow/McMahon Dr.
Tumbler Ridge
Shop Easy Foods
Chetwynd 250-788-1111 4824 - 54 St Dawson Creek 250-782-2020 925-100 Ave Fort St. John 250-785-0300 10107-94 Ave Tumbler Ridge Trans. Site 250-242-3638 103 Ridge Rd.
Clean Lids off
Did You Know? Small Appliance Recycling Has Arrived!
New Options for Construction Waste Construction waste is no longer condemned to a life in the landfill. Thanks to Recycle-It Resource Recovery, a locally owned and operated company, there are greener options. Envisioning Zero Waste in the Peace River Region, Recycle-It Resource Recovery, is working to fill the gaps.
Dawson Creek-
DEPOTS
Clean Dry Flattened
Corrugated boxes ( wavy in middle ) Cereal boxes Cracker boxes Paper rolls Food & makeup containers.
Numbers 1—7 NO STYROFOAM Rinsed clean Lids off Squashed Stuff bags and plastic film into another bag
Clean Labels removed ( recycle
Soup cans Pet food cans Pie plates
Glass
Bessborough Landfill Charlie LakeMile 54 Shell.
Paper Calendars Phone books
BINS
On October 1, 2011 the Unplugged Recycling Program was introduced in the Peace. This program collects & recycles small electric appliances such as microwaves, kettles, electric toothbrushes and irons. Accepting over 120 appliances in 14 different categories, chances are good yours is recyclable. For more information on what items are accepted visit unpluggedrecycling.ca or pRRRdy.com for details. Tip: If your appliance still works, try thrift stores before recycling. Drop off locations: Chetwynd Lions Recycling
250-788-1111
DC Recycling, Dawson Creek
250-782-2020
Eco Depot, Fort St. John
250-785-0300
pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling Newsletter
A Steward a Month
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Product Stewardship is an “end of life” strategy to deal with the products we use everyday.
January
July
Medication Return Program
Product Care Association
medicationsreturn.ca
productcare.org
Bring unused medicines back to your pharmacy for environmentally responsible disposal. (in original container)
Bring your unused household paint to FSJ Bottle Drop, DC Recycling, or Chetwynd Lion’s Recycling. It is also a great place to get paint for small projects.
February
August
Small Appliance Recycling Program
BC Hydro Fridge Buy-Back Program
unpluggedrecycling.ca
bchydro.com
Small appliances can now be recycled at Eco-Depot in Fort St. John, DC Recycling in Dawson Creek, and Chetwynd Lion’s Recycling.
If you have an old, functioning fridge to dispose of, call 1-866-516-4357. BC Hydro will pick it up and pay you $30. (must be between 10-24 cubic feet)
March
September
BC Used Oil Management Association
Kidseat Recyclers
usedoilrecycling.com/bc
kidseatrecyclers.ca
Used oil, antifreeze, containers, & filters are accepted at various locations in the Peace. Check the website above for a location near you & the items they accept.
We want to recycle your car seats. Watch for information on a round-up in your community. We will send the seats to Canada’s only car seat recycler.
April
October
Product Care Association’s Paint Plus Depots
Switch the ‘Stat and Alarm Recycle
productcare.org
switchthestat.ca and productcare.org/Smoke-Alarms
Household solvents, pesticides, and gasoline don’t have to go to the landfill or down the drain. FSJ Bottle Drop is our region’s Paint Plus location.
Take your old thermostats to Eco-depot in FSJ. Smoke & CO alarms can be returned to FSJ Bottle Drop, DC Recycling, or Chetwynd Lion’s Recycling.
May
November
Tire Stewardship BC
BC Used Oil Management Association
tsbc.ca
usedoilrecycling.com/bc
Recycle all of your car and light truck tires. For a dropoff locations near you, check our website at prrrdy.com or call NEAT at 1-888-689-6328
Used oil, antifreeze, containers, & filters are accepted at various locations in the Peace. Check the website above for a location near you & the items they accept.
June
December
Electronics Stewardship Association of BC
Call 2 Recycle
return-it.ca/electronics
call2recycle.ca
Take computers, printers, fax machines, peripherals & more to Eco-Depot in Fort St. John, DC Recycling in Dawson Creek, & Chetwynd Lion’s Recycling.
Cell phones & rechargeable batteries can be recycled at many locations in the region. Check prrrdy.com or call NEAT at 1-888-689-6328 for a location near you.
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pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling Newsletter
Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge & Hudson’s Hope Recycling Guide
Chetwynd, B.C.
Chetwynd Lions Club Recycling - 250.788.1111 Recycling Collection—Commercial & Residential Electronics Printer Cartridges Oil, Oil Filters & Containers Paint Cans & Spray Paint Books Beverage Containers Batteries—Auto, Rechargeable & NonRechargeable Chetwynd Home Hardware - 250.788.2373 CFL and fluorescent bulbs Coffee Talk/Basics - 250.788.3422
Hudson’s Hope, B.C. District of Hudson’s Hope –250.783.9901 CFL Light Bulbs Batteries - rechargeable & non-rechargeable Cell Phones Hudson’s Hope Transfer Site Batteries - Auto, rechargeable & nonrechargeable Tires –cars & light truck Hudson’s Hope Thrift Stop –250.783.9221
Post-Holiday Tree Disposal Fort St. John—Residents are to leave their trees curbside on January 7th with all tinsel & ornaments removed. Please, no tree bags. A local charity will come around to pick them up on that day & take them to the drop off site, City’s Snow Removal Dump Site, 79th Ave & 93rd Street. Photo: Flicker/sdminor81
TLC Community Thrift Store—250.788.2772
Tumbler Ridge, B.C.
Tumbler Ridge Transfer Site Residential & Commercial Recycling Items Batteries—auto Oil, Oil Filters, Oil Containers Tires Metals & Appliances Yard Waste Tumbler Ridge Bottle Drop—250.242.0091 Beverage containers Tumbler Ridge Thrift Store—250.242.5296
Dawson Creek –Residents are to place their tree at the front curb no later than 10am January 21st with all tinsel & ornaments removed. Please, no tree bags. 1st South Peace Scouts of Dawson Creek will pick them up. Chetwynd – Trees will be picked up curbside in the first week of the new year. Before and after that, residents can drop trees off at the compost pile behind Chetwynd Lion’s Recycling. Hudson’s Hope –Residents can drop off their trees at the landfill site where they will be chipped and composted.
pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling Newsletter
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Dawson Creek & Area Recycling Guide Automotive Hulk/Parts Belsum Auto Recyclers –250.782.3213 (call ahead) Antifreeze Peace Country Petroleum Sales –250.782.5801 Cell Phones Canadian Tire –250.782.9552 The Source –250.782.2291 Three Monkeys Intelligent Systems –250.782.3768 Windsor Plywood –250.782.7926 CFL Bulbs (See Fluorescent Light Tubes) DC Recycling - 250.782.2020 Ballasts Batteries –Auto, Rechargeable & NonRechargeable Composters (for sale) Cell phones Electronics Refundable beverage containers Non-magnetic metals Soft plastics including lumber wrap Consumer recyclables: plastic, tin, etc. Household Hazardous Waste: consumer & aerosol paints. *Not Accepted: wrapping paper, Styrofoam, wood & Industrial paint/adhesives. Fluorescent Light Tubes & CFL R Home Supply (Home Hardware) -250.782.5581 Furniture Salvation Army –250.782.8852 Mercury Thermostats Eco-Depot –250.785.0300
Oil, Filters, & Containers Peace Country Automotive –2503782.5020 Wilsons Timberline Buick GMC –250.782.5215 Peace Country Petroleum Sales –250.782.5801 Walmart –250.719.0206 Gear-O-Rama –250.782.8126 Canadian Tire –250.782.9552 Brown’s Chev-Olds –250.782.9155 (Some may also accept transmission fluid. Call ahead to confirm.) Paper Shredding Acceleration Shredding –1.877.65.SHREDD Pharmaceuticals Any of your local pharmacies Printer Cartridges Software Emporium –250.782.1025 Tiger Printers –250.782.2907 Thrift Stores DC Second hand Store –250.782.2213 Salvation Army –250.782.8852 Tires –Car and Light Truck Canadian Tire –250.782.9552 Fountain Tire –250.782.5555 Integra Tire –250.782.1777 Kal Tire –250.782.5544 Peace Country Toyota –250.782.6614
If you have items that you no longer need, but they are still useful, post them in the Give-Aways section of peacecountryclassifieds.ca, sponsored by pRRRdy.com.
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pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling Newsletter
Fort St. John & Area Recycling Guide Appliances & Metals Richmond Steel –250.785.6003 BC Hydro Fridge Buy Back –1.866.516.4357 (call ahead for program details) Eco-Depot (metals only) -250.785.0300 Batteries & Cell Phones The Source –250.785.2480 Windsor Plywood –250.785.1435 FSJ Home Hardware Building Centre – 250.787.0371 CFL & Fluorescent Light Bulbs Eco-Depot –250.785.0300 Commercial Paints Hazco Environmental –250.785.9001 (call for pickup) Composters NEAT –250.785.6328 Construction & Demolition Recycle-It Resource Recovery –250.785.1114 Clothing ABC Thrift –250-787-1685 Community Friendly Thrift –250.785.2722 Salvation Army –250.785.5891
Industrial Hazardous Waste RBW –1.800.642.3802 Hazco Environmental –250.785.9001 Lead Acid Batteries (Auto) Canadian Tire –250.787.1142 Eco-Depot –250.785.0300 Northern Auto Electric –250.785.5710 Recycle-It Resource Recovery –250.785.1114 Medications & Vitamins Your local pharmacy Mercury Thermostats Eco-Depot –250.785.0300 Oil, Filters & Containers (usedoilrecycling.com) Kal Tire –250.785.5626 Canadian Tire –250.787.1142 Rapid Lube & Wash –250.785.2191 Lube-X –250.787.6080 Paper Shredding Acceleration Shredding –250.785.4054
Electronics Eco-Depot –250.785.0300
Petroleum Contamination CCS Midstream Services –250.262.0140
Furniture ABC Thrift –250.785.1685 Salvation Army –250.785.5891
Propane Cylinders –Empty Eco-Depot –250.785.0300 Neufeld Petroleum –250.785.5000
Household Hazardous Waste FSJ Bottle Drop –250.785.4146 *Must have hazard symbol & UPC code.
Tires Integra Tire –250.785.2411 Kal Tire –250.785.5626
pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling Newsletter
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Meet the Team
Eco-Advisor in Dawson Creek and Area
Eco-Advisors in Fort St. John and Area Jen Bourke—Jen moved to Fort St John in 1990 and has been a friendly face in our community ever since. She has watched our community grow and change over her many years here, and loves the small town feel that it continues to hold onto. She loves living in Fort St. John because of its community, beautiful landscape and endless opportunities. This is her home town and she wants to see it continue to be a beautiful place to live in northern BC. Jen is excited to team with NEAT in spreading awareness about sustainability throughout our community. Her background with working with kids makes her a valuable asset to our team.
Jen Pimm—Jen's foray into the field of environmentalism came as a natural extension of her daily life. She loves to garden, eat naturally and locally, play outside with her pugs, and do all kinds of 'crafty' things with interesting used materials. She is so happy she can earn a living by having fun helping people live 'greener' lives (who else gets to teach kids about composting by playing with worms at work??). As a Business Energy Advisor for the LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program, Jen is excited for NEAT to connect with businesses in Northeast BC and help them figure out how to reduce their utility costs. She knows it can be a struggle to run a small businesses, and hopes she can help out- call her, she wants to save you money!!!
Catherine Henry—Catherine grew-up in New Westminster, BC, equipped with a blue-box recycling program at her curb & a backyard composter. Her love for winter activities & environmental stewardship took her to Prince George for university. Catherine completed a BSc and MSc in Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources & Environmental Studies, respectively at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Studying alternative uses for mining waste, Catherine can put you to sleep with all the chemical details of metal leaching. Catherine has also worked with various industries including forestry, fisheries and metal mining. In August 2010, Catherine relocated to Dawson Creek with her husband and bearded collie, Houdini. The three of them can be spotted on walks throughout town at any given hour & any given temperature. Catherine’s prime interests are in clean & sustainable industrial development with minimal impacts to water resources.
Eco– Advisor in Chetwynd and Area Jen Brocke—Jen moved to Chetwynd in January of 2010 with her family. Originally from Prince George, Jen appreciated the clean air right away! A small town girl at heart, Jen fell in love with Chetwynd's beautiful landscape & never misses an opportunity to explore the many miles of trails in the area. She can be found walking, hiking, or biking with her golden retriever, Sonny, & whoever else she can wrangle into getting some exercise. An avid recycler, Jen is excited to join the NEAT team & share with Chetwynd new ways to practice sustainability.
What our Eco-Advisors can do for you. NEAT has a great team of Eco-Advisors spanning Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Hudson's Hope, Fort St John, & Tumbler Ridge. Our team can create presentations for staff, students or community groups on a variety of environmental topics. We specialize in discovering alternative uses for items that are used, but not used up! We have information on composting, recycling and we know all of the places to drop off oil, bottles, tires & electronics in your community. Our Eco-Advisors would love to attend community events or special days. We are passionate about the environment & would love to share that with you.
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pRRRdy says… Waste Reduction and Recycling Newsletter
Contact Us Every issue of pRRRdy says… includes some easy-to-do tips to help you in an environmentally friendly way.
To avoid this during the cold of winter, mix 3 parts vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray it on your windows at night and you won’t have frost in the morning.
Make this the year you give up paper giftwrap forever. Explore alternatives that can be used again and again. Try Furoshiki wrapping. By using a simple square scarf, the wrapping can be used again, and for other things.
Waste Reduction Office In Fort St. John: 250-785-6328 Toll-free: 1-888-689-6328 Fax 250-785-6378 E-mail info@neat.ca Main Office 10027-100 St. Fort St John, BC V1J 3Y5
www.prrrdy.com Eco-Advisors Dawson Creek & area 250-219-6328 email catherine@neat.ca North Peace 250-785-6328 email info@neat.ca Chetwynd/West Peace 250-401-1116 email jen@neat.ca
Peace River Regional District In Dawson Creek: 250-784-3200 In Fort St. John: 250-785-8084 Toll-free: 1-800-670-7773
www.prrd.bc.ca
Composting Isn’t Just for Summer You can definitely keep using your compost all winter long. Understandably, the process is going to be much slower in the winter, but as the water particles in the organics freeze they are destroying the molecular structures which will make everything compost much faster when they thaw in the spring. Not so excited about trekking across the backyard at -40 with your slippers and your compost bucket? You can store it in old ice cream containers on the back porch until the path to the compost is visible once again. If you have overfull compost already, make sure that your compost is well watered and you can add an accelerant such as bone meal, branded compost accelerator, or chicken manure to help things along in the spring. Stir well and let the winter work it’s magic!
Facebook: NEAT –Northern Environmental Action Team Twitter: NEATfsj
This newsletter was prepared by Northern Environmental Action Team on behalf of Peace River Regional District.
pRRRdy says…This newsletter is printed with vegetable based inks. If you don’t want to save this newsletter for reference, please recycle it.