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Where is Away?

11/12/2014

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Originally published March 26, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Just living produces garbage or waste which we throw away. But where is ‘away’?

Everything used to go to the landfill where it was covered up and forgotten by most people. However, landfills take space. Many items cause poisonous chemicals to get into the environment.

Much of the materials in landfills can be recycled and used again, saving space, energy and resources. The toxic items can be disposed of in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.

So the ‘away’ where you throw things is changing.

At the landfill, there is a place for metal which is picked up and refined into new metal. Tires are set aside and shipped to Reliable Tire in Winnipeg where they are made into a variety of products. Computers are taken apart so metals and plastics can be recycled, and toxic chemicals disposed of properly to prevent poisoning the environment.

Recyclables can be taken to the Recycling Centre to be shipped and made into new products. The Centre is also able recycle e-waste and batteries.

Toxic materials must be disposed of in a way that keeps them from harming the environment. They should not be thrown away with other household trash. Currently, they need to be stored until the Hazardous Waste depot comes to town in September. Old or unused medication can be returned to the store where you got it for disposal. 

It is important to think about where ‘away’ is and be responsible with our stuff after we are finished with it. With a couple of new habits, we can make the world a better place.

And wherever ‘away’ is, it is NOT in the bush! 





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The PRO's of Recycling

11/12/2014

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Originally published March 19, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Who is responsible to take care of all the garbage we create?

Cities and towns are responsible for managing waste. That was much easier and cheaper when everything was garbage and just went into the landfill.

Landfills are no longer the best way. They take up lots of space, are expensive, and can harm the environment. There are better ways to deal with most of our garbage.

So who pays for that? Municipalities already spend lots of money on waste management. They can’t do it all.

The Province of Manitoba has made laws which require industries that sell stuff that is recyclable to help pay for it.  

For every specified product a company sells in Manitoba, it must pay a set amount into a fund that helps municipalities with the ‘end of life’ costs. These products include tires, oil products, beverage containers, household food items with recyclable packaging, newspapers, electronics, fluorescent bulbs, and lots of other things.  This extra cost often shows up on your bill as an enviro fee.

And where does that money go?

To the PRO’s – Producer Responsibility Organizations which are non-profit organizations run by industry. They pay municipalities and organizations like the Recycling Centre to cover recycling costs.

Some PRO names are like alphabet soup:  MMSM, CBCRA, EPRA, MARRC.  Some have obvious names like Mb Tire Stewardship, and Product Care.  Last year the PRO’s paid the Recycling Centre more than $55,000.00 for household, tire and ewaste recycling.

The PRO’s make sure recycling happens in Manitoba.

Check out the meaning of the Alphabet soup names and other info about the PRO’s on our facebook page  - Flin Flon Recycling. 





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The Three R's

11/12/2014

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‘Everything we have comes from the Earth’.  I can’t remember where I read this statement but that fact has stayed with me.

Something was taken from the Earth to make everything we have from televisions to toilet paper, from socks to SUV’s. This is a finite planet we are living on. We need to make some changes, so there is something left for our grandchildren.

The Three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, are the key to making change. They are listed in the order of importance.

First, we need to reduce how much we are taking from the earth. Making purchases with less packaging is a good place to start. The real question is ‘do we really need so much stuff?’ How much do we buy that we don’t need or use? How much do we throw away that is still good, but we are tired of or we find something ‘better’?

Repairing what you have instead of buying a new one is another way to reduce the amount of the earth’s resources we use.  

Reuse what you have. Use margarine containers for supper leftovers. Use reusable bags for shopping. Use dishes instead of paper plates, or a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Someone else can reuse what you are finished with through garage sales, ‘Trader’s Post’, or giving things away to someone who needs it.

You only can only reuse so many margarine containers, etc. Instead of filling up the landfill, recycle as much as you can. Recycling uses less energy and resources so we  take less from the earth.

If you are not recycling, you are throwing it all away.  

Originally published March 12, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.


 

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 Recycling Computers and eWaste

11/12/2014

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Flin Flon Recycling Centre began collecting computers and all connected parts, and other electronic waste (e waste) in 2009. The first three years it was a summer program only for residential items only. It has been available year round since 2012.

Recycling electronics is important because they contain toxic substances that harm the environment if sent to the landfill. Other parts like metals and plastic can be recycled and used again.  In 2013, more than 3,000 metric tonnes of e waste was recycled in Manitoba. When you buy electronic products you pay an Environmental Handling fee. This money is used to make e-waste recycling happen. It goes to EPRA Manitoba, a non-profit organization run by the electronics industry. They pay the Recycling Centre to collect and ship the materials for recycling.

The e-waste stays in Manitoba to be recycled.  It is sent to Exner E Waste in Morden which has been inspected and meets standards for safety and for recycling the materials they collect. A list of eligible e waste is available at grocery stores, where red bags are sold, or online at www.recyclemyelectronics.ca.

Broken items that have sharp glass or plastic edges cannot be recycled.

Check the list to see the item you have can be recycled. If it can, drop it off at the Recycling Centre at 9 Timber Lane.

The Recycling Centre stacks the items and wraps them. When there is a truck load they are shipped to Morden. Three loads were sent in 2013 and one was sent this year.



Originally published March 5, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.







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 Where Does Recycling Go?

11/12/2014

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When you throw things away, where it away? That question has been used to get people to think about landfills and what garbage is doing to our planet.

We know recycling keeps stuff out of the local landfill. But where does it go?

Recyclables are baled at the Flin Flon Recycling Centre and shipped. Materials are shipped to Cascades Recovery in Winnipeg. There it is sorted and sent it on its way to a new life.


Cardboard is made into new cardboard or Boxboard.
Boxboard (cereal boxes) is made into new boxboard.
Newspapers become new newspapers, magazines or boxboard.
Milk cartons and juice boxes (Tetra Paks) and office paper become tissue like ‘Kleenex’ , toilet paper, etc.
Aluminium cans become new aluminium. It is the purest form to recycle.
#1 Plastic like pop bottles and clam shell food containers become fibres for carpets and clothing to make items last longer.
Milk jugs (#2 plastic) becomes new #2 Plastic (HDPE) and is also used for car parts. 
Tin is smelted to become new tin, or to make car parts. 
Other plastics are recycled into new materials. Most recycling is done in the Midwest or Southern US and Eastern Canada.

Did you know?
  • Paper fibers can be recycled up to 7 times.
    Two plastic pop bottles make enough polyester fibre for one baseball cap.

You can support recycling by purchasing things that are made from recycled materials. Check the labels of containers and paper products to find out. 

Question: what is the name of the recycling symbol? Enter on Facebook: Flin Flon Recycling.

If you are not recycling, you are throwing it all away. 


Originally published Feb 26, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.














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Recycle! I don't have space

11/12/2014

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Originally published Feb 19, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Here are some tips to make it work.

  • Only one bin is needed as it doesn't need to be sorted. Separating glass is helpful.

  •  Make stuff smaller. Open the bottom and top of small boxes. Step on milk jugs, cartons or pop bottles that have been rinsed and drained.

  • Place the recycling bin close to the garbage container. Put a bag in the bin. It is easy to remove the bag when it is full and send it for recycling.

  • Find something smaller for garbage. There will be much less of it.

  • Drop recyclables off at the Recycling Centre at any time. Closed bags or boxes can be left on the dock. Place loose items in the blue bins. The lids are easily opened.  

  • Have recyclables picked up at the curb every second Wednesday. The cost is $3.50 which is paid by purchasing a red bag. Put the recycling in it and 2 more bags or boxes if needed. Leave it on the front curb on the Wednesday recycling is picked up in your neighbourhood. Uptown Flin Flon and Creighton pick up is the first and third Wednesday of the month. East Flin Flon and Channing is the second and fourth Wednesday.

For more info check out Flin Flon Recycling Page on Facebook.
 Update: Creighton began providing free curbside recycling in May, 2014. The Red Bag curbside program is now every second Wednesday in all of Flin Flon. See dates for the next pick ups on the home page. 







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Why Recycling is a Good Thing

11/12/2014

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Originally published Feb 12, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

People think recycling is all about saving the environment.  It is also about saving money.

Recycling is good for the environment.

We need less space to store garbage. Materials have two, nine or even 20 lives, rather than being buried after one use. So fewer resources are taken from the earth. It takes less energy to make something from recycled materials than from scratch.


For example, recycling one metric tonne (1,000 kgs or 2200 lbs) saves 17 trees. Recycling paper uses 60% less energy. This produces less greenhouse gases.

Recycling one aluminium can saves enough electricity to watch TV for 3 hours. Aluminium and other metals can be recycled many times. The aluminium used today may have been mined in the early 1900’s.

What about the money? Landfills are expensive. Covering the garbage requires dirt and big machines. Recycling reduces these costs and the landfill will last longer. Building a new landfill is expensive, especially in a land of rocks and lakes. Garbage may be trucked to a regional landfill in the future.

In Manitoba, there is a $10.00 levy on every tonne of garbage. Up to 80% of that is returned based the amount of recycling. In 2012, only 43% of the Flin Flon’s levy was returned.

Recycling saves the earth and money.






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 Recycle & Be Amazed

10/12/2014

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Originally published Feb 5, 2014.  The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop. The first column ever.

Most people are amazed when they begin recycling.

It is so easy and there is so little garbage.

Get started by placing a recycling bin close by your garbage.  Drain plastic, glass or aluminium drink containers, rinse out tin cans, and place them in the recycle bin. All Newspapers, fliers, magazines, office paper, envelopes, cereal type boxes can also be recycled.

Find the number inside the recycling sign on plastic containers. Recycle everything except #6 and items without a number.

What is garbage? Food scraps, disposable things like coffee cups, paper towels, tissues, construction paper, gift wrap and ribbons, plastic bags, plastic wrap, box liners, Styrofoam, candy wrappers, aerosol cans.

There are two ways to get your items on the way to a new life. Place them on the loading dock or in the bins at the Recycling Centre at 9 Timber Lane (same building as Eecol). Or pay for a pick up at your house by purchasing a red bag. Put your recycling in that bag and two other boxes or bags and place it on the curb on the Wednesday recycling is picked up in your part of town.

There is more at Flin Flon Recycling on Facebook or www.flinflonrecycling.org or call 204 – 687 6169.

And be amazed. 



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Recycling Stats Update

10/12/2014

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November, 2014


Monthly total - 30, 479 kg recycled
Newsprint - 2,715 kg, 
Co-mingled* 7,723 kg,
Office paper - 2,672 kg, 
Cardboard - 15,019 kg, 
Glass - 2,350 kg

Total for 2014 - 382,340 kg (382.3 tonnes**)

2013 total November 30 - 362,286 Kg (362.3 tonnes)
* co-mingled are the unsorted materials that are sent to Winnipeg for sorting. 
** metric tons - 1,000 kg or 2200 lbs.
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    Deb Odegaard has been with the Flin Flon Community Recycling program since it began  in 1992.  She  became the Administrator in 2013.
    Deb writes a  column 'The Recycling Bin' in The Reminder, Flin Flon's newspaper. Past columns are posted here along with recycling stats  and anything else on her mind. 

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