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! 

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. 

‘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.