OCTOBER 2011
A good conservation report card for Region residents
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dd up all of your water uses in a day. First your shower, then your toilet flushes, then your laundry, hand-washing, and most importantly, your drinking water. How many litres are you using? 300? 200?
Our latest data shows that residents of Waterloo Region are using approximately 224 litres per day on average. Compared to the rest of Canada, we’re ahead of the grade; which is important since we rely so heavily on groundwater and most urban centres have surface water sources.
Water consumption per person, per day in Waterloo Region
239 litres 2008
233 litres 2009
community water demands by 6.8 million litres per day by 2015. Our conservation goal for 2010 was to save 4.5 million litres per day of drinking water, but have actually achieved a reduction of 5.8 million litres per day. So we’re well ahead of schedule.
The plan is to continue to offer programs to help residents access efficient technology and to educate the public on what their best options are. We’ll also promote leak detection programs and help businesses complete projects which reduce their water consumption.
224 litres 2010
Tips to save water that you may not have heard before:
Through using water efficient technology Fix leaks around your home. You probably have and other best practices, we know that we some. An example is a toilet that runs by itself can use as little as 150 litres per day with at times. Toilet flappers need to be replaced minor or no change to our lifestyle. Using every three-five years or you’ll lose a lot of water. high efficiency toilets (4.8 litres or lower), faucet aerators, efficient shower heads, Check your humidifier settings. If the humidity front-loading clothes washers, efficient level is set too high, not only will it waste water softeners and other techniques water, but it promotes growth of bacteria. make a huge difference in our water consumption. Do you have an older water softener that is on a timer? Consider replacing it with an efficient The Region’s most recent Water Efficiency one that recharges only when needed. Master Plan set a target for reducing our
Through continued research and development, our targets for personal water consumption continue to drop and the Region of Waterloo would like to thank the residents and business owners who are doing their part to achieve our community’s goals. Keep up the great work! For more information on the Water Efficiency Master Plan or any of our programs for residents and businesses, please call 519-575-4021 or visit www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water
What can you get for $2 a week?
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package of gum? A coffee on one day?
How about one full year of blue box, green bin, yard waste, appliance and garbage collection at your curb, a dozen reuse and recycle programs, plus landfill disposal, recycling and compost processing! That’s right, just $2 a week of your Regional tax dollars (or $105 a year) goes to waste management. Curb side collection is the most visible service offered by the waste division, but that’s only part of this great offer. In addition, the Region makes sure that waste is disposed of in the most environmentally safe and responsible way possible. The Region operates one engineered landfill, one recycle sorting centre, one large waste transfer station in Cambridge with a 15 acre compost pad, six residential waste drop-off sites for cars and horse drawn vehicles and environmental monitoring and maintenance at five closed landfills. Managing all these requires provincial certification, many
regulations and testing. We also have a hightech landfill gas collection system that is used to make electricity – green energy! But wait, there’s more! Tax dollars also support many diversion programs for reducing and recycling waste. Our Region has one of the largest and most varied diversion programs in the province. Take advantage of all the great diversion programs offered by the Region of Waterloo. Start using your green bin. If all residents used their green bin and blue box to the fullest, half of the residential waste now going into the landfill would be diverted. Remember, filling our landfill is a limited time offer – when the space is gone, it’s GONE!
Waste facts: • The average household pays about $2 per week ($105 a year) on their Regional tax bill for all waste management services (based on the 2011 market value of an average residential property of $254,000). • The collection trucks make over 1.5 million residential stops per month. • Our one landfill has approximately 25 years left in its lifespan. • In 2010, 51 per cent of residential waste was diverted from landfill through our programs; let’s get that to 60!
What's inside? Don’t waste it – sort it . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Black gold from the green bins . . . . . . 2
Wagon at the Elmira transfer station.
Winter tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Merlin and Barb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Water conservation by-law . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fill up for free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Free water related resources . . . . . . . . . 3 Join the salt free diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Help protect our drinking water . . . . . 4 Where is our water going? . . . . . . . . . . 4 What’s happening waste programs . . . 4
Environmental information on protecting water and reducing waste
Don’t waste it – sort it
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ay back in the 1950’s, Life Magazine termed us the “Throw Away” society. We have come a long way since then. Our residents do a good job sorting reusable materials from garbage.
The Most Wanted List
Where could it go?
Organics: all food scraps,
Green bin it all!
soiled or wet paper such as paper plates and coffee cups, pet waste
Note: pet waste should be wrapped in paper
Paper: junk mail, books,
These materials are remade into new products. However, some things are still being wasted going to landfill … and we want them!
Impact? • 40 – 60 per cent of household waste is organic and could go into the green bin • Used to make compost for farms • Organics are what make the landfill smell • Partner with your backyard composter for meats, bones, etc.
Blue box – clean paper Green bin – soiled or
• Recycling saves resources – trees!
otherwise “yucky” paper (greasy popcorn bag)
Did you know? 190 million tonnes of wood a year are used to make paper cups. Use a refillable mug.
Plastic: single use beverage containers (water bottles!)
Blue Box – a quick rinse, remove lid, crush, put in blue box
• Recycling plastic means less oil is needed for new plastics • Decreases litter. Be sure to put them in the blue box; these are too valuable to waste!
Metals: empty aerosol cans
Blue Box - a quick rinse,
(even with plastic nozzle), pop cans
labels can be left on
• Metals are valuable for recycling and help offset the cost of the program to residents • Pop can material stays strong with repeated recycling Did you know? Pop cans are made from bauxite ore. Mine it once, reuse it over and over again by recycling it.
magazines, flyers, envelopes
“Black gold” from your green bins
D
an Shantz, a third generation farmer in Waterloo Region, likes the compost made with the materials from our green bins. Dan grows soya beans, wheat and corn on his 1,500 acres of fields. He spread over 1,000 tonnes of compost this summer on his fields. Why? According to Dan, compost is the best thing for soil. “It is all natural and has many different kinds of nutrients that are absorbed by the soil. This helps change the structure of soil, making it healthier. It lasts longer and has many more nutrients in it than chemical fertilizers,” said Dan.
There is a lot of nutrition in food scraps and Dan, along with many other farmers, loves that fellow residents are “green binning”. “Please, no plastics,” Dan said. Plastic does not break down in the processing and tiny bits of plastics sometimes appear in the finished compost. No plastics, even biodegradable bags, are allowed in the green bin. Don’t waste another day. Use your green bin. That “black gold” helps grow our delicious food!
More diversion programs for reuse and recycling: household hazardous waste depot used motor oil drop-off tire & scrap metal drop-off yard waste collection & composting compost giveaway toilet drop-off (to make landfill roads) bicycle drop-off Goodwill reuse drop-off Habitat for Humanity reuse drop-off education centre green bins at schools
Merlin and Barb (the hawk) B
y day, Barb, a Harris Hawk, keeps the seagulls away at the landfill. By night, she stars in “Camelot” at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (running until October 30th).
Local farmer, Dan Shantz, holding what he refers to as “black gold” - compost made from our green bins.
Winter Tips • Frozen green bin material is difficult to empty. Tips to help: put a cardboard egg carton or coffee tray on the bottom of bin or layer food with soiled paper towel or newspaper; store your green bin in the garage or near the house during cold nights • Snow can make collection difficult. Please make sure and put out for collection in the morning. all items are reachable from the street.
Photo by David Hou. Falconer: Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control, www.hawkeye.ca
Actor Sandy Winsby with Barb on the Festival stage.
Environews - October 2011
Water Conservation By-law is in effect every summer
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he Region of Waterloo’s Water Conservation By-law became a regular part of summer in 2005 and is now in effect every summer from May 31 to September 30. The By-law allows once-per-week lawn watering for all properties and every-otherday watering for trees, shrubs and gardens.
were issued during the hot, dry stretch through July. It is important to remember a couple of key facts during each summer:
“This measure not only protects our longterm water supply, it also spreads water demands out so that water is kept in reserve to fight fires and supply emergencies,” said Nancy Kodousek, Director of Water Services for the Region of Waterloo.
• Watering anything during the hot middle of the day is extremely wasteful due to evaporation rates, so it is very important to water during the allowed hours (5:30 -10 a.m. and 7-11p.m.)
During the summer of 2011, the majority of residents followed the by-law, but an increasing number of warnings and fines
For more information, please call 519-5754021 or visit www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water
Thank you for doing your part to conserve water each summer. Remember you can water your lawn once per week in the summer and enjoy the weather.
Fill up for free while on the go! are away from home, thirsty and your Youreusable water bottle is empty. What do you do? Thanks to the Blue W program the problem is solved. This tap water refilling network identifies local businesses and public facilities that will refill your reusable bottle with tap water free of charge.
Enjoying a drink of refreshing and healthy tap water
Remember you can water your lawn once per week in the summer
• In hot, dry weather, lawns will go yellow and brown but will not die as long as you are watering an inch each week on your allowed day
Finding a Blue W location is easy! • Look for the Blue W sign posted in storefronts • Go to BlueW.org and use the mapping tool (computers and smart phones supported). Upon entering your location details, the three closest Blue W sites will appear.
Blue W is looking for businesses wanting to join this free program. Businesses that join benefit from promotional listings in the website database and increased walk-in foot traffic. Your business will be demonstrating its commitment to the environment as well as providing a service appreciated by the Tap water – ours to drink! community. • A healthy beverage choice – our bodies and minds need For more information on Blue W, visit online at water www.BlueW.org. The • Affordable – less than a website includes the penny per glass online mapping tool and • Convenient – close at hand, downloadable smart easy to access phone applications. Businesses interested in • Environmentally friendly participating can also option – nothing to throw register online. out
Free water-related resources for teachers
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egion of Waterloo offers free resources on water to Grade 1 to 8 educators. Find out where our water comes from and its journey from source to our taps. Discover why protecting our source water is so important and ways we can help conserve it. Downloadable tools and details on how to book an in-class presentation are available online at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water (click on Teacher Resources).
Join the salt free diet W
handling and storage of salt, using up-to-the-minute weather reports so salt is only applied when required and using a liquid solution that uses less salt and sticks to the roads.
inter – it’s a Canadian tradition that includes snow and ice. It’s important we stay safe, but throwing large amounts of salt on our walkways and driveways isn’t the answer. By using less salt you will: • Reduce salt corrosion damage to your walkways
Let’s all do our part to manage our salt use. For more information, visit www.smartaboutsalt.com.
• Decrease salty build-up that can ruin your boots and clothing
Reduce your salt use:
• Reduce health risks to your pets from salt trapped on paws or ingested • Protect your plants and grass from unwanted salt when snow melts • Help protect our drinking water Did you know that most of our drinking water comes from groundwater in aquifers? When the snow melts, excessive salt can also be absorbed in to the ground – and into our source water. The Region is doing its part to reduce salt used on roads. This includes proper
Winter salting has damaged these bushes.
Environews - October 2011
• Wear proper outdoor foo twear and make use of snow tires • Shovel snow as soon as possible after a snowfall • Redirect downspouts away from walkways and drive ways to eliminate ice build-up • Use salt sparingly and only when required • Hire a smart about sal t certified contractor
Help protect our drinking water S
afe drinking water is vital for our health and our community. To keep our water clean we are developing a plan to protect our drinking water sources – groundwater aquifers and the Grand River. The plan will include policies and programs to minimize the impact from our activities, such as fuel and chemical storage and manure application. There will be many opportunities to provide your input, so please visit www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water and www.sourcewater.ca to find out how you can participate and learn more about the Clean Water Act and source water protection.
Where is our water going?
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2009 Waterloo water consumption distribution
he Region of Waterloo uses billing data from the local municipalities to track how our treated drinking water is being used on a daily basis. The categories are broken down by sector: • residential (all homes and apartment buildings);
Commercial 8% Industrial 8% Institutional 11%
• industrial (manufacturing facilities, etc.); Residential 73%
• institutional (hospitals, schools, etc.); • commercial (retail businesses) Opposite is a chart outlining the water usage in Waterloo Region based on our latest data.
This data shows that residences are still the main water users in Waterloo Region, which helps guide the development of programs and policies to reduce water use. The Region’s Water Efficient Technology Program helps commercial, industrial and institutional properties with water conservation projects. Other programs, such at the Toilet Replacement Program, rainwater harvesting and naturescaping, help residents lower their water requirements. For more information, please call 519-575-4021 or visit www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water.
What’s happening? Highlights on our waste programs: ■ Close of seasonal drop-offs at the Waterloo
■ Compost
workshop: Oct. 15. Free. Preregistration required. Green bin, backyard and worm composting – all your composting questions answered by our compost guru. Call to register 519-883-5100.
site: a reminder that the home building material reuse (Habitat for Humanity) and the bike reuse programs will close for the winter and reopen next April. Please bring your items in before the end of October.
■ Environmental
Education Centre, Waterloo landfill: for elementary and high school students. This free, two-hour program helps students understand the impacts of waste choices through discussion, displays and a tour of landfill operations. Advanced bookings only. Call 519-883-5100. Buses are mandatory and must be provided by the school.
■ Household
hazardous waste: hazardous waste should be dropped off for special disposal at one of our depots or community days. Free for residents.
■ Yard
waste collection until mid-November: yard waste collection is every second week. Please check the schedule on our website or call us at 519-883-5100 for information.
Prefer raking loose leaves to the curb? Call the Cities for details: City of Cambridge: 519-621-0740 City of Kitchener: 519-741-2514 City of Waterloo: 519-886-2310
• Year round depots: (limit 25 litres) Mon. – Sat. 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. • Waterloo landfill, Gate 2 • Cambridge landfill, paint and motor oil only
■ Christmas tree collection:
• HHW drop-off days, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Oct. 22 – St. Jacobs Arena • Nov. 5 – Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
weeks of Jan. 2 and 9. Please remove all decorations, stands and plastic bags. Tri-cities: set out on your regular garbage day. Max. length 1.8m (6 ft.). Townships: check your calendar. Max. length 1.2m (4 ft.).
■ TVs,
Don’t waste another day
computers, e-waste are banned from landfill and curb side collection: Recycle them. Check www.recycleyourelectronics.ca for a location near you.
For detailed information on these and other services, locations, hours, etc., please go to the front of the phone book; our website www.regionofwaterloo.ca/waste; or give us a call at 519-883-5100.
Waste Management contact info:
Water Services contact info:
Editors:
Waste Management 925 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4 Tel: 519-883-5100 Fax: 519-747-4944 waste@regionofwaterloo.ca www.regionofwaterloo.ca/waste
Water Efficiency 150 Frederick Street, 7th Floor, Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3 Water Quality and Supply Questions: 519-575-4757 ext. 3155 Water Efficiency: 519-575-4021 watercycle@regionofwaterloo.ca www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water
Waste Management: Water Services: Graphic Designer:
Environews - October 2011
Kathleen Barsoum, 519-883-5100 Dan Meagher, 519-575-4423 Pat Dusseldorp, 519-575-4599 Corporate Publishing