Live Green by Vancouver Courier

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your guide to making green choices everyday

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Va n c o uve r Co u r i e r wednesday, october 13, 2010

Encorp’s School Recycling Program makes fundraising as easy as ABC

Are you up to the Zero Waste Challenge? We’ve got a long way to go to get a grip on our garbage

T Since 2000, about 33 million containers have been recycled, and Encorp has refunded more than $2 million in deposit refunds to participating BC schools.

Education

Encorp’s BC School Recycling Program provides elementary and high schools with the tools and resources to make recycling easy, convenient and profitable. Schools keep 100% of the deposit for each container collected and the program costs them nothing. Elementary and high schools from all parts of British Columbia are encouraged to participate. The schools and the environment both benefit from this popular program. Schools find it’s an easy way to fundraise for special projects like field trips. Keeping beverage containers out of landfills saves precious resources within our environment. The containers are recycled and used as raw material. For example, drink boxes are mashed into paper pulp which is used to make cardboard boxes and toilet paper. Thousands of tonnes of paper pulp are recovered in this process. And for every RECYCLING AT SCHOOL REALLY PAYS OFF George Pringle Elementary (Westbank) began the 2009/10 school year with a 5 day bottle drive. It was such a success that they decided to collect containers on a monthly basis. One day in every month, parents dropped off their bags and boxes of containers at the school. The grade 6 students and Vice-Principal volunteered to collect juice boxes and other containers from classrooms. This year, the Parent Advisory Committee and teachers decided that the funds from deposit refunds would go towards a year end field trip to Vancouver. They’ve found that recycling is a great way to save the environment while raising money for things that are important to everyone at their school.

RETURN-IT MAN SCHOOL TOUR Return-It Man, along with his Super Sidekick, visits elementary schools across the province, educating students about recycling beverage containers and electronics. Their fun and entertaining presentation explains how containers are recycled and what they are recycled into. Kids get to actively participate in the presentation and even receive an activity book with a reuseable lunch bag to take home with them.

tonne of paper pulp recycled, approximately 17 trees are saved. Since the program’s inception in 2000, about 33 million containers have been recycled, and Encorp has refunded more than $2 million in deposit refunds to participating BC schools. In the 2009/2010 school year alone, 365 schools (153,334 students) who participated in Encorp’s School Recycling Program raised over $291,000 and they kept over 4.6 million beverage containers out of BC landfills. Encorp’s easy to use web application allows schools to keep a running total of their own returns and compare their totals to other schools. It also features a blogging page where they can share ideas about recycling at school. Throughout the year, registered schools are provided with newsletters to update them on the progress of the program. They’re also eligible to receive free recycling bins and bags to help them collect containers. Encorp has spiced things up by adding an extra incentive. Schools who collect the most containers per student are awarded bonus cash prizes. The contest is designed to allow similarly sized schools across the province to compete against each other in respective categories. Each year, a total of $13,500 is split between the top three schools in each of the nine categories. In addition to the collection contest each year, Encorp holds other draws and contests where students can get creative to win their schools even more cash prizes. What’s more, award certificates are given to individual students and groups to recognize exceptional dedication to helping our environment. Each year provides schools with a brand new opportunity to fundraise. Distributing flyers and collecting containers from surrounding areas is also a great way for schools to develop and foster relationships within their communities. School spirit really pays off thanks to Encorp’s BC School Recycling Program. So start fundraising the easy way! Register your school today at return-it.ca/youth.

LAST YEARS SCHOOL RECYCLING PROGRAM 1ST PLACE WINNERS Elementary School: Rogers Elementary, Thetis Island Elementary, Upper Lynn Elementary, View Royal Elementary High School: Chemainus Secondary, Prince Rupert Secondary, Robert Bateman Secondary, Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary, Yale Secondary ADVERTORIAL

ake a look at the garbage you and your family take to the curb each week. Now reduce that by 70 per cent. That’s what your garbage-day reality could look like five years from now. Metro Vancouver has set a lofty goal of reducing the amount of garbage requiring disposal by 70 per cent by 2015. That target is part of the region’s Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan. The plan is far from simple, and includes a contentious waste-to-energy proposal that has been opposed by residents worried that an incinerator will have a detrimental effect on air quality. Others say a properly designed and managed waste-to-energy facility makes the most sense for the long-term handling of our solid waste. A 5,000-page report is now in the hands of the Ministry of the Environment, and it will be some time before a decision is made on the fate of the overall plan. In the meantime, Metro Vancouver is encouraging residents to start taking steps now to reduce the amount of solid waste they create.

The Zero Waste Challenge includes a number of tips for individuals who want to be ahead of the waste management curve. For instance, Metro Vancouver suggests you take a look at how much food you are tossing into the garbage bin. It’s probably more than you think. (Metro Vancouver pegs the average at 40 per cent of total household waste.) You can tackle this from two angles. First, consider your food purchasing and preparing habits. Are you throwing out spoiled food every week? Maybe it’s time to cut back on how much you buy at one time.

And if you are preparing more than you consume, make sure you plan ahead to use your leftovers rather than tossing them. Freeze portions for meals on another day, load up your re-usable containers with a healthy home-cooked lunch, or get creative and turn your leftovers into nutritious soups or stews. Second, take a look at backyard composting. If you live in an apartment, or you want to introduce a composting program for your office, then consider getting a worm bin. Reducing the use of disposable products can have a big impact on how much garbage is produced at home, at work and throughout the community in general. Single-use items, such as disposable coffee cups and plastic water bottles, are everywhere. Plan ahead: Purchase refillable containers and then don’t forget them as you are rushing out the door. Whether you want to sip a latte or quench your thirst with cool water, you can usually avoid using a disposable cup or bottle. Challenge your co-workers to do the same, and make it a priority to teach your children that throw-away containers are not the best option. Buy them reusable containers that they can decorate with stickers and other fun stuff to make them unique and identifiable — and something they will be proud to show off to their friends. For more information on how you can take part in the Zero Waste Challenge, go to metrovancouver.org/services/ solidwaste/Residents/zerowaste/Pages/ WatchYourWaste.aspx. Last year, residents across Metro Vancouver sent about 1,400 tonnes of cardboard milk cartons to the landfill. photo by Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

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Get organized with your recycling T

here’s nothing more annoying than running out of kitchen counter space because you’ve got a pile of empty tins, yogurt and juice containers waiting to be recycled. Is it time to clear off your counters and take stock of the amount of space under you sink? Is the space under your sink being taken over by special cleansers that are only used every few months like silver polish, floor wax and roasting pan scrubbers? Or maybe your cupboard hosts a bag of empty grocery bags? Go and take a look before reading on.

Why not prioritize the space for sorting out your garbage and recycling, activities you do every single day? If you’re not using your cleansers at all, look up your closest Product Care site and get rid of them safely. Do not pour them down the drain as the environment doesn’t want them either. This is not to suggest you stop cleaning your house, but like many people, you might want to switch to using fewer chemicals when cleaning your home. Check out www.metrovancouverrecycles.org for information that can help get rid of your old cleansers. If you are using chemical cleansers, decide where else they can go — maybe under the bathroom sink? In the basement? Is there room to add a shelf high up in the pantry or shoe closet? If you have a large “bag of bags” where plastic bags are shoved into one another forming a space-wasting,

earth-sized ball of plastic, take them back to your grocery store for recycling. Then commit to switching to reusable bags so as not to build up a ball of bags ever again. If you need a few as kitchen catchers, store them up high on a hook in a cloth bag. How big is your garbage bin, and can something smaller do the trick? A smaller garbage bin is good motivation to make sure you recycle everything you can. Recycling food scraps alone will reduce your household garbage by up to 30 per cent. Once you have cleared out the space under your sink, give it a good wipe down with white vinegar to get rid of any odours. Vinegar is an amazing cleanser. Now think about the number of bins, cans or boxes you will need to make it easy to sort your recyclables. Make fun signs labelling the new sorting containers like “well-read newsprint,” “flattened cardboard,” “unavoidable plastic bottles,” “milk and juice containers for the depot.” Maybe your city offers food scraps collection, or you have begun backyard composting. Your food scraps collection container can go under the sink too. Try a glass or stainless steel bowl with a dish for a lid, or an ice cream pail with a lid. Like anything in life, once your recycling station is clean and organized, it will be easier to use. — courtesy of Metro Vancouver This is part of a series of articles that can help you make changes at home to improve the environment we all live in. For more information, go to www.metrovancouver.org.

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Va n c o uve r Co u r i e r wednesday, october 13, 2010

Yard waste comes full circle Y

ard and food waste collected from many households around the Lower Mainland enjoys a second life right back in the ground where it started. Many residents leave their grass trimmings and yard waste at the end of their driveway every week without giving a second thought to where it ends up. Most of the organic waste - which includes food scraps, yard and wood waste - in the Lower Mainland gets sent to Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre, an organic processing facility in Richmond. “We look at ourselves as handlers of a commodity or resource rather than looking at it from a waste perspective,” said executive vice president Steve

Aujla. “So all the materials that we have coming into our facilities from residential curbside programs for green materials, food scraps, urban wood materials, these are all resources so we’re manufacturing compost.” The company has been in the composting business since 1993 and is one of the largest commercial composting operations in the region. In 2009, Metro Vancouver signed a long-term contract with Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre and the company increased the capacity at its facility in order to accommodate an additional 50,000 tonnes of food waste. Last year, four Metro Vancouver

By Jessica Kerr

communities - Coquitlam, Delta, Langley Township and West Vancouver embarked on a food scrap recycling pilot project. Port Coquitlam has had a similar program in place since November 2009. The Metro trial ended in March and board chair Lois Jackson said while a final report is still in the works, a preliminary review showed one kilogram of food waste was collected per household per week and the participation rate was between 20 and 30 per cent. Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre receives organic waste from most municipalities in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, from West Vancouver to Chilliwack. Packer trucks bring material

�� Don’t forget to include any capless, cleaned and crushed milk containers on your trip to the Return-It Depot. There’s no deposit when you buy so there’s no refund when you Return-It. It’s the only way to keep them out of our landﬁlls and recycle them into something new.

��

either directly to the facility or to one of the transfer stations in North Vancouver, Langley, Maple Ridge and Surrey. The material is composted in large batches. The yard waste, food scraps and wood waste are mixed together in piles with larger pieces of already composted material, which are then covered with carbon activated ash from wood sources, which helps to insulate and reduce odour. “We’re trying to create an ideal environment for the organisms for them to thrive off of, so they can multiply quicker so they can ideally break down the stuff in near perfect conditions,” Aujla said. He said odour concerns are a top

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Richmond Soil and Fibre executive vice president Steve Aujla turns yard and food waste into compost in 10 to 12 weeks.

priority. “Organic processing facilities, we’re not in business if we’re producing odour so everything we do revolves around odour control and odour protection and odour mitigation,” Aujla said. After seven to nine weeks, the material is ready for the next steps. The batch of compost is sieved to separate the finer material, which is the marketable compost, from the larger pieces, which are put back into the next batch of compost. That practice also helps speed up the composting process as the partially composted matter will bring many microorganisms with it to help jumpstart the new batch. “They all get recycled, they get recomposted again until they break down smaller and smaller and smaller,” Aujla said.

Photo by Jessica Kerr

Once separated, the finished compost is piled in another area of the site. The product is sold as pure compost and also gets combined with sand to make garden, turf and top dressing soils. It’s then sold in bulk to homeowners, landscapers, municipalities and other companies, which bag and sell the products under other names. The entire process takes between 10 and 12 weeks. “It’s amazing those little creatures what they’re doing,” Aujla said. “We take a lot of credit for what’s happening here but, to be honest, we’re moving things around but the real work, the magic, is being done by the army guys behind the scenes - the organisms.”

EAST VAN BOTTLE DEPOT 2605 Kaslo Street, Vancouver 604-255-4243

ED’S BOTTLE DEPOT 2525 Carolina Street, Vancouver 604-874-9223

GO GREEN BOTTLE DEPOT & RECYCLING 7 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver 604-874-0367

POWELL STREET RETURN-IT BOTTLE DEPOT 1856 Powell Street, Vancouver 604-253-4987

REGIONAL RECYCLING 960 Evans Avenue, Vancouver 604-689-4722

SOUTH VAN BOTTLE DEPOT 34 East 69 th Avenue, Vancouver 604-325-3370

UNITED WE CAN BOTTLE DEPOT 39 East Hastings Street, Vancouver 604-681-0001

VANCOUVER CENTRAL RETURN-IT DEPOT 2639 Kingsway, Vancouver 604-434-0707

WESTSIDE RETURN-IT CENTRE 3311 West Broadway, Vancouver 604-464-3377

FIND PARTICIPATING RETURN-IT LOCATIONS AT

�� OR CALL 1-800-330-9767

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From farm to table, naturally by Helen Peterson

oing for a drive in the country is nice on occasion, to visit the outlying farms and grab a few bags of delicious produce. However, thinking practically, it’s more energyefficient and ecological if the produce comes in to the city in volume. Local farmer’s markets are a good method of selling, but they don’t continue through the winter.

Now there’s NOWBC, a co-op established two years ago by like-minded individuals who wanted to create convenient, local depots where residents of the city could come all year round to pick up their organic produce and other items.

YOUR THIRD TELEVISION GETS AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE SMALL PRINT BELOW OUR LOGO.

The online market works like this: Buyers register on the website, where they can pre-order (with no minimum charge or frequency required); staff and volunteers fill the orders from their preferred network of sustainable farms, etc.; the deliveries to the depots are made at a set time every week (depots are, in fact, porches or carports of volunteers); buyers go to pick up their items (using their own recyclable bags, of course); finally, the customer leaves a cheque for NOWBC with the homeowner. Community Outreach Coordinator Joanna Michal says there are 25 depots around Vancouver, and that this is a pilot project that will likely be adopted by other cities. “I’d say 80 per cent of the food items are fresh fruit and vegetables,” she says. “But, we also source dairy like milk and cheese, grains, dried beans, cereals, ecocleaners and the like. “In winter we can also get frozen salmon, beef and chicken, frozen berries as well as dried, but we don’t do fresh meat products,” Michal says. Both volunteers and customers benefit by meeting at the depots to socialize with neighbours and discuss “green” ideas. And because NOWBC believes in delicious, naturally grown food cultivated with a focus on nutrients, flavour and derived of healthy, sustainable farmland, the chain of sustainability remains intact. “NOWBC was created to be able to offer a great supply of healthy and local organic food accessible to people in as many Vancouver neighbourhoods as possible,” says Michal. “And two new depots are opening this month in the Dunbar area.” Walk, don’t drive, to your local NOWBC co-op depot, for the good of the planet. Go to www.nowbc.ca for preordering info.

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October Seed & Suet Sale Buy Now and Save

Let’s be smart with our power and waste less electricity by recycling seldom used televisions. To ﬁnd a recycling depot near you, visit return-it.ca/electronics

1302 W.Broadway • 604 736 2676

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WANT TO RECYCLE YOUR UNWANTED ELECTRONICS? Here’s where you can recycle them safely and free of charge in Vancouver:

Powell Street Return-It Bottle Depot 1856 Powell Street, Vancouver (604) 253-4987

Regional Recycling 960 Evans Avenue, Vancouver (604) 689-4722

South Van Bottle Depot 34 East 69th Avenue, Vancouver (604) 325-3370

Vancouver Central Return-It Depot 2639 Kingsway, Vancouver (604) 434-0707

WHAT IS THE ELECTRONICS STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (ESABC) PROGRAM? ESABC is a not-for-profit extended producer responsibility program set up by the producers and retailers of electronics in British Columbia to provide a province wide recycling system for unwanted electronics.

Salvation Army – E. 12th Avenue 261 E. 12th Avenue, Vancouver (604) 874-4721

WHAT ARE THE ACCEPTABLE ELECTRONIC ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM? Effective July 1, 2010, the following items can be recycled free of charge at any Encorp Return-It Electronics™ Collection Site: display devices, desktop computers, portable computers, computer peripherals, computer scanners, printers and fax machines, non-cellular phones and answering machines, vehicle audio and video systems (aftermarket), home audio and video systems, and personal or portable audio and video systems.

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Wireless industry leads cell phone recycling initiative by Jason R. Shirley

id you know that 96 per cent of your old cell phone is recyclable? When you get a new cell phone, don’t let your old handset end up in a landfill or just be another unwelcome addition to the junk drawer. Think recycle – a small effort on your part can make a big difference. Canada’s wireless industry is making it even easier for us to recycle our old cell phones and contribute to some great charities at the same time. Recycle My Cell is a national program that lets consumers get information about where and how to properly dispose of their cell phones and other wireless devices. With over 3,700 drop off locations across Canada, finding a location is simple: all you have to do is enter your postal code at www.RecycleMyCell.ca. This generates a list of the closest recycling drop-off sites. If you can’t visit one of these dropoff locations in person, the web site provides postagepaid labels to use for mailing. So, regardless of one’s chosen submission method, recycling a wireless

SPACE SAVERS, ENERGY SAVERS, MONEY SAVERS

device is hassle-free and at no cost to the consumer. The website also includes instructions for clearing your device of all personal data to ensure none of your information ends up in the wrong hands. Many different items are accepted for recycling, including smartphones, pagers, batteries and accessories. After your device is received, it is sent to a recycling plant where it can be refurbished or taken apart for scrap. All phones recovered are recycled or refurbished appropriately and in accordance with international e-waste laws. Recycle My Cell is run by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, in conjunction with cell phone carriers and handset manufacturers who have come together to raise awareness about the importance of cell phone recycling. The goal of this program is to keep handsets from entering Canada’s landfills. And just as important, the proceeds from the recycled wireless devices go to benefit many local and national charities.

Recycle Your Old TV And Save On Your Energy Bills Recycling is not just for paper and plastic anymore. Now you can also recycle your old TVs, computers, monitors, printers and fax machines – and save money at the same time. “Most people don’t know that the extra TV they’ve got sitting upstairs in the guest room where it gets used maybe once a year is actually costing them money every day,” says BC Hydro’s Kari Reid, Program Manager in Residential Marketing. “As long as that TV is plugged in – whether it’s turned on or not – it’s using energy. And it’s adding up on their electricity bills.” Virtually all electronic devices – TVs, computers, printers, modems, DVD players, cell phone chargers and anything else with a clock, timer, adapter, memory or remote control – continue to draw power even when they’re not in use. With the average Canadian home today boasting more than 25 electronic devices, you can bet that at least some of those devices remain plugged in, even when they’re old or broken. But just tossing your out-of-date electronics in the local landfill is not the answer. “TVs, like computers and other electronics, have components that should be recycled,” says Kari. “The best thing is to take your unused electronics to a Return-It™ Electronics recycling depot, where they will get broken down safely and properly.” The Return-It™ Electronics recycling program is managed by Encorp Pacific (Canada) on behalf of the Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia. The ESABC established the program in 2007 (in addition to its Return-It™ Beverage and Milk Container recycling programs) to respond to the fast-growing issue of e-waste. “New and better products keep coming on the market all the time,” says Kari, “and we’re snapping them up. Who

See the Original RECYCLERS www.blineappliances.com 776 Kingsway (at Fraser) Vancouver 604-879-4050 s r

WE RECYCLE, DO YOU?

Article courtesy www. newscanada.com. Advertorial

doesn’t want a sleek new flat-screen TV? But some people are just throwing their outdated electronics in the trash, or simply putting them in a drawer or a closet because they don’t know what else to do with them. Some people, too, are just moving them to another room where they stay plugged in but unused – which is just wasting energy. We want to see unused electronics unplugged, then disposed of properly.” “Once you’ve done that,” says Kari, “there are a number of other things you can do to reduce your energy use.” For example: � Plug all your related electronics, like your computer, modem, monitor and printer, into a single power bar, then switch them all off at once when you’re not using them. � Switch to a laptop. A typical laptop computer uses approximately 55 kwh/year compared to a typical desktop and monitor that uses approximately 290 kwh/yr. � Unplug your cell phone and other chargers as soon as the battery is topped up. � If you’re in the market for a new TV, look for one with the ENERGY STAR® label – it will use as much as 50 per cent less energy than a less-efficient model. � As a general rule, the larger the TV the more energy it uses. Make sure your TV is the right size for your room by dividing the distance between where you’ll be sitting and the front of the screen by 2.5. “It can take more electricity per year to keep your DVD player in standby mode than it actually uses playing DVDs,” says Kari. “Unplug it or turn it off at a power bar and you’ll save energy. And as I said before, get rid of your unused TV! If just one in 10 households in British Columbia recycled just one unused television, it would save enough energy to provide all of Squamish with electricity for more than a year.” To find out more about the Return-It electronics recycling program or to find a recycling depot near you, please visit return-it.ca/electronics.