Tuesday 10 April 2012

Trash 2 Cash Update: Registration is Rockin'


Logo for waste diversion contest
Well, it’s been a week since we announced the 
Trash 2 Cash challenge, and we’ve had great response!

Over 125 households have registered within the Alta Vista community, and that number is still rising daily. Registration remains open until Friday afternoon, so keep those emails coming (email us at the contest line: peterhumeottawa@gmail.com with your phone number and full address).

We’ve received lots of positive feedback on the challenge, and we’re looking forward to reading everyone’s survey answers.

Many of you have told us that using your green bin is not hard at all; that’s great to hear, but if you're going to really reduce your garbage, it's time to also revist how much you use your blue and black bins! Here are some really interesting facts that may inspire you in your efforts to reduce your garbage bin and feed your coloured bins:

Some Facts About Recycling from Guelph, Ontario

It only takes 25 two-litre plastic bottles to make one adult size fleece jacket. In 2010, Guelph recycled almost 761 tonnes of plastic — enough to make almost 670,000 adult size fleece jackets.

It only takes 120 pounds of recycled newspaper to save one tree. In 2010, Guelph recycled over 3,890 tonnes of newspaper — enough to save over 71,000 trees.

A modern glass bottle would take 4,000 years to more to decompose in a landfill.  Recycled container glass is used to create new bottles and jars, fibreglass, and can be used as aggregate material in roads and sidewalks.  In 2010, Guelph recycled 1,055 tonnes of glass.

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.

Canadians take home over 55 MILLION plastic bags EVERY WEEK. Recycling plastics saves 90% of the energy used to make new ones. Finding alternatives is even better. Watch for plastic bag take-back programs at local retailers.


Now, those numbers are specific to Guelph—a city that has been using a sorted waste collection program for several years. But their population is tiny: around 127,000 people according to Google. Just imagine what Ottawa can do with our 91,7550 residents!

More updates to come on the Trash 2 Cash challenge…and don’t forget, you still have time to register!

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