Recycling Breakdown

Nowadays, it is more important than ever to help our planet by following the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. However, the process can sometimes feel daunting: which materials are recyclable and which aren’t, how can one reuse or compost certain waste, etc. It’s actually not as hard as it looks, and divine.ca is here to help clear things up a bit.

Did you know?
- According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian recycled 112 kg in 2004, which is 58% more than in the year 2000.
- However, the average Canadian produced 418 kg of residential waste in 2004, which is 14% more than in the year 2000.
- In 2006, 93% of all Canadian homes had access to at least one recycling program.
- According to Environment Canada, the landfills (where our waste is sent to) contribute to 38% of Canada’s total methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

How to properly recycle
•    To begin with, when shopping at the store, be sure to look at the labels: purchase only recyclable products, for which packaging is also made of recycled parts, as well as products that are biodegradable. Watch out for any of the following symbols:

	The Mobius loop on a light background indicates that a packaging or product can be recycled where facilities exist. Visit your city or municipality’s website for more information on local recycling programs, as well as to locate your residential recycling and composting facilities.
	The Mobius loop on a dark background indicates that a product contains recycled materials. A percentage in the logo’s center may appear, indicating how much of the product was made of recycled materials; no percentage listed implies that the product is made of 100% recycled content.
	The “Environmental Choice” logo means that the product is certified energy-efficient, reduces the creation of harmful by-products, uses recycled materials or can be reused.

•    At home, once you’re ready to toss out items, look into whether they’re recyclable and separate them accordingly. Recyclables can be separated into four groups: paper and cardboard, plastics, metals, and glass.

•    Here are examples of some non-recyclable materials: tissues, paper towels and napkins (particularly those that are dirty and oily), plastics without a recycling code indicated, rubber, cheese packaging, broken toys, light bulbs, glass and window shards, porcelain, ceramics, drinking straws, and fabric softener sheets.

•    Find ways to reuse materials and containers. Why not take that jar in which you purchased tomato sauce to store homemade sauces, or take an empty milk carton and help the kids make a bird feeder?

•    Be sure to use all products until the very last drop, and rinse out containers, bottles and jars thoroughly. Separate any caps from bottles, as well.

•    Find out where in your city you can acquire a green or blue recycling bin. If not, purchase blue and clear bags: put all paper products in a blue bag; all rinsed plastics, metals and cartons in another blue bag; and put yard waste (such as grass and leaves) in a clear bag.

•    When recycling glass bottles, try taking them to a drop-off centre rather than leaving them out to be picked up. They can break easily and be dangerous to the men and women handling them.

•    Take the above-mentioned yard waste, as well as some kitchen scraps, and compost them! According to the Composting Council of Canada, 50% of all waste can be composted. Paper, wood and manure are also organic materials that may be composted, contributing to waste management and improving your soil’s fertility. Set up a composting unit in your backyard, find a local expert in your municipality, and go here for more tips on how to get started.