'Tis the season to reduce, reuse and save

It’s almost Christmas! Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I usually do mine online because I find more sales online compared to in stores. The downside of online shopping is the packaging waste it creates (packing peanuts, bubble wrap, boxes, etc.). Consolidating all items into a single package can reduce this waste, but only if the order is coming from one store, and often that only happens if a person makes a special request to combine items for shipping.

This year, I am replacing little knick-knacks that I usually order online with a couple of gift ideas that don’t create extra waste, require minimal crafting skills and cost less than $6. I would love for you to try them too! Of course, there are other wasteless options available within various budgets: gift cards, tickets to movies and other experiences. Check out the Wasteless Gift Guide post for more ideas.

1. Potted plants

These small plants are not only very cute, they are also low maintenance and air-purifying. Although they may not be as Christmassy as poinsettias (which don’t always last long), the pots can easily be decorated with ribbons or fabrics to make them look more festive. You can paint the pots, write a cute message, or make a Christmas terrarium.  Let your creativity work!

I got these succulents at Ikea for $4.99.

2. Secondhand books

Some people frown on the idea of regifting, but there are certain items that are perfect for enjoying then passing on, like books. Books are timeless and their contents never get old. Even if a book looks a little worn out on the outside, the inside will be brand new to a person who hasn’t read it yet! Plus, there are many secondhand books out there that look brand new. All that is required is some cute fabric wrap and you are set.

The Reuse Centre has many books to choose from. If you’re looking for another great option, the Edmonton Public Library has a Books2Buy event coming up on December 14 and 15 at the Enterprise Square location downtown. 

Books2Buy is a regular event where the library sells excess inventory of books, audiobooks, CDs and more at discounted prices. You can get kids’ books and paperbacks for just a dollar! See complete pricing at the Edmonton Public Library website. 

At a previous Books2Buy event, I was able to fill up this box with 27 fairly new books for $10. Amazing, right?

So there you go. Just a couple of affordable and sustainable gift ideas for you to try. Remember, it's the thought that counts! 

Finally,  because we all like to save money at this time of year I wanted to share about a free app called Flashfood. It helps you find local stores selling discounted items that are close to their expiry or best before dates. This food is safe to eat and tastes great. Hopefully more grocery stores will start using the app, as it reduces avoidable food waste and helps budget-conscious consumers find food at reduced prices. Definitely worth trying this season while planning for the celebrations with friends and families that will involve food! 

Well, that's it for now. Enjoy your holidays!

Photos and Submission by Mariz (Volunteer) 

Happy International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day (IVD), is a day of observance set by the United Nations. It was first established in 1985 and since then has been recognized globally as an opportunity for us all, “to promote volunteerism, encourage governments to support volunteer efforts and recognize volunteer contributions at local, national and international levels.”

The theme chosen to mark this year is, "Volunteer for an inclusive future", highlighting the impact that volunteers have in promoting greater inclusion throughout our communities.

The United Nations explains this theme well, “Volunteering provides opportunities for people, particularly those often excluded, to concretely impact their own lives and play a constructive role in their communities by volunteering their time and skills. Through volunteerism, communities around the world often experience strengthened solidarity and inclusion.”

The City of Edmonton encourages staff and facilities to be inclusive environments that provide equitable access to resources and opportunities for all. The Diversity & Inclusion Framework guides this effort throughout our city as we collectively work together to achieve our societal goals. If you want to learn more about this, consider registering here for an event on December 10th to celebrate the launch of the City’s new framework.

The Reuse Centre strives to create an inclusive space for City of Edmonton residents to donate and purchase reusable items and learn about reducing waste through reuse. We all create waste and we all play an important role in being responsible with the waste we create. The Reuse Centre benefits from the work of Volunteer Sorters, Event Assistants and Bloggers. All of our volunteers contribute in different ways; they bring a variety of skills, abilities, and personality with them in fulfilling these roles. At the Reuse Centre, inclusion means that as we all contribute to the mission of diverting waste from landfill and promoting the benefits of reuse to others, and we all share in the continued success of a more sustainable community. Recently, customers and Waste Services staff have recognized the efforts of our volunteers with thank you messages.

Reuse Centre staff sharing a note of thanks

Notes of thanks written by customers

Waste Services staff shares a note of thanks

Jayne (Customer) poses to share a note of thanks

If you are interested in volunteering at the Reuse Centre, view our opportunities here. Want to contribute to our inclusive mission, but don’t want to volunteer? That’s okay too, have a look at our list of accepted items and start collecting some in your home today. Simply bring your collected items along with you on your next trip to an Eco Station or the Reuse Centre.

If you volunteer elsewhere locally, nationally or globally, thank you! 

Submission by Andrea (staff)

Smash those pumpkins

Pumpkins ready to be smashed

Halloween is over, and so is the pumpkin season. What did you do with your Halloween pumpkins? Have you ever considered reusing them to have a smashing good time?

The City of Edmonton’s Compost ‘S Cool organized a free pumpkin smashing event on the afternoon of Saturday, November 2. People were invited to bring their Halloween pumpkins to smash and prepare for composting. Everyone had a great time and the event gets bigger every year. This year, 479 people smashed 518 pumpkins!

Composting is a natural process that breaks down organic kitchen and yard materials. Composting turns organic materials into a dark, earthy material called compost. Finished compost improves soil and helps make your plants, garden and lawn healthier. The pumpkins brought in by participants are put through the composting process and, after a few months, will be available as food for plants. During the event, volunteers helped  people make compost tea bags. The tea bags, made from coffee filters filled with a small amount of last year’s pumpkin compost and tied closed, can later be soaked in water and used to water plants.

Pumpkin compost being made into compost tea bags

The event was fun-filled, particularly for the young ones. To smash the pumpkins, participants could drop it from a set height, stomp on it to break it down into pieces, or  crush it with a long hammer. The most popular option for children, though - resulting in a long queue of eager participants - was attaching a pumpkin to a rope plant holder and swinging it into a tree or pillar. No matter the choice, every pumpkin smashing station was manned by Master Composter Recyclers to assist with the smashing and to ensure the safety of all.

Different and fun ways pumpkins were smashed

Volunteers then collected the smashed and broken pumpkin pieces into large heaps, mixed with leaves and straw, in preparation for composting.

Smashed pumpkins become compost

After all of this hard work, people warmed up with free hot chocolate provided by Compost S’ Cool.

If you are new to composting, you can learn more about the process and get useful tips and resources from Compost S’ Cool. They organize regular workshops and information sessions for members of the public. You can learn more here.

If you missed this year’s pumpkin smashing event, plan ahead for next year. If you have a soggy pumpkin or other food scraps to discard, find out if there is a Sharewaste compost site in your neighbourhood. Follow Compost ‘S Cool on Facebook to stay up to date with all of their upcoming events and workshops!

Photos and Submission by Sunanda (Volunteer)

Waste Reduction Week Canada (Oct 21-27)

Waste Reduction Week in Canada has again come and gone! 

For those that aren't familiar with this Canadian initiative, "Waste Reduction Week" (WRW) is an annual event to inform Canadians about the environment and social ramifications of wasteful practices. WRW was developed by a coalition of 13 recycling councils and sister organizations from across Canada and happens in the third week of October each year. WRW uses its “take action” messaging to empower all Canadians to adopt more environmentally-conscious choices and provides them with information and ideas to reduce waste in all facets of daily living. (https://recycle.ab.ca/wrw/)

This year Waste Reduction Week (WRW) tackled seven different subjects related to waste, with each day dedicated to one theme. 

In my opinion, WRW in Canada has done an excellent job in educating about the vast array of waste issues that are suffocating our planet these days. What I liked most about this week is how easy it was to share about the importance of waste reduction because the organization's website, useful information and infographics were so easy to access. What made it even more simple to share with others was the fact that it was an official Canada-wide initiative - which I feel super proud of my country for having - and made it so much easier to share with businesses and organizations, such as the private school I work at.

The topics highlighted are truly some of the most imperative and urgent waste issues. As WRW has dedicated each day to a topic, let's review all that was shared for each subject and learn about how we can reduce our waste!

1. Circular Economy. Developing a circular economy is so important because products are designed so that the resources used to make products can be reused and reinvested into new products over and over again.

Circular economy is different from recycling because during the initial stages of product design, purposeful reuse of the resources is planned into the system instead of finding a recycling solution afterwards. This mindfulness in the initial stages of production reduces inevitable waste at the end of that product lifespan and also avoids possible toxic or non-recyclable materials from ending up in landfills.

What can you do to support this? Check out these tips from WRW below:

• Engage in products/services that use smart design and recycled materials

• Prioritize access over ownership (e.g. consider borrowing or renting items that you don't need often)

• Extend the life of materials through swapping, repairing/refurbishing

• Support companies that offer take-back programs

• Purchase refurbished products

2. Textiles. Fast fashion is one of the leading waste contributors and one of the top polluters of our environment. Factories of fast fashion companies often do not have proper water-treatment systems, resulting in the harmful dyes and chemicals leaking into rivers and streams where water is collected for household use. Additionally, sweatshops are known to underpay their workers and disregard safety regulations, making working conditions dangerous. These are the key messages from WRW on what you can do:

• Practicing conscious consumption

• Learning about the environmental impacts of clothing production

• Repairing clothes before purchasing new

• Repurposing clothes into new outfits and accessories

• Extending the life of textiles through reuse: clothing swaps, shopping thrift, and donating clothes.

3. Champions & Innovators. This day celebrated communities, individuals, and organizations that are disrupting traditional business models to embrace waste reduction initiatives and making big gains in waste reduction.

Doesn't this sound just like... the Edmonton Reuse Centre?! Yes, yes it does! In this post, I'd like to commend the Reuse Centre for being a one-of-a-kind place in Edmonton Waste Services that promotes the ideas and benefits of reuse, provides affordable items to organizations and individuals, and thereby diverts waste from the landfill.

If you've never been or don't know anything about the Reuse Centre, they have a collection of a wide variety of materials, ranging from arts and crafts supplies, home decor, media, metals, needle craft supplies, office and school paper, plastics, wood, and various other items that are all sold by weight - meaning you can grab your goods for cheap!

Source: City of Edmonton 

4. Plastics and Packaging. It is well known that single-use plastics are one of the leading contributors to the world's waste problem, with our oceans and landfills drowning in it. We can all work towards reducing our plastic use and learn to dispose of items properly. Here are some key tips from WRW:

• Make simple changes in your everyday life to reduce your plastic footprint. Every action counts.

• Use circular economy principles in product design and business models to reduce plastic waste.

• Learn about how plastic affects marine environments and how you can take action.

• Learn how to reduce and reuse plastics in everyday life through WRW's online resources.

• Find resources and links to other plastics awareness campaigns.

5. Food Waste. It's inevitable that households will produce food waste, but how much is too much? It doesn't make any sense that there are approximately 800 million people starving around the world, when the total world food production is more than enough to feed everyone. Food waste often happens in North American kitchens when food and produce in the fridge goes rotten - and this is something that can be completely avoided! WRW sets out simple guidelines to reduce food waste and asks those that are committed to take a pledge. Here are the tips suggested by WRW:

• Learn about food waste in Canada.

• Take action to reduce your food waste by:

• Planning meals and making a grocery list.

• Storing fruits and vegetables properly so they last longer.

• Getting creative with leftovers.

• Understanding the difference between best before and expiry dates.

Click here to take the pledge!

6. Swap, Share & Repair. Swapping, sharing, or refurbishing extends product/material lifecycles and diverts them from disposal. On Saturday of Waste Reduction Week, Canadians were encouraged to think about the lifecycle of their materials and learn more about sustainable consumption, the sharing economy, and extending the life of materials through reuse.

Keep in mind that this can be done anytime and anywhere! The best way to reduce and reuse waste IS to give your products a new life by trading them elsewhere and, in turn, receiving something new! Edmonton's thrifting, trade, and consignment scene has been growing, with new events and initiatives happening every couple of weeks, so this is a great opportunity for people to get out there and do some swapping and sharing!


7. E-Waste. E-waste has definitely been the focus in the past two decades as technology has become an essential part of everyday life. Did you know that globally last year, the total amount of electronic waste reached 44.7 million tonnes and only approximately 20 per cent was recycled? Our electronics are made from materials like chlorinated solvents, brominated flame retardants, PVC, heavy metals, plastics, and gases that could poison the environment if not recycled properly.

Source: City of Edmonton

WRW says that a majority of households have old electronics kicking around. Since most Canadian municipalities do not offer curb side e-waste pickup, many residents rely on collection events for proper management of these items. Organizations, schools, and municipalities were encouraged to host an e-waste collection event for reuse and/or responsible recycling during Waste Reduction Week. 

In Edmonton, we currently have 4 Eco Stations where you can drop off your electronics for FREE! How great is that?! 

If you are a resident looking to drop off your electronics at a City of Edmonton Eco Station, make sure you take a look at the guidelines for other acceptable/unacceptable items.

I hope this movement inspires you to be your own champion in reducing waste and in finding more ways to reuse the things in your life!

Until next time!

Submission by Jessica (Volunteer)

Reuse Ideas for the Kitchen

September is the perfect month for establishing new routines and getting into a groove after the chaos of summer. For me personally, September was also about adjusting to a new home after a big move.

Food, as always, is a big theme in this reorganization period. So, I thought I’d share my favourite ways (as well as some aspirational ways) to reuse everyday items. Ever-present yogurt containers and glass jars aren’t just for leftover lasagna, they can be used proactively to reduce waste!

I love to drink smoothies in the morning and I recently discovered Earth’s General Store on the eastern end of Whyte Ave. Earth’s General Store  encourages customers to use reusable containers for bulk products like nuts and seeds in a similar way to Bulk Barn (my true love). They also carry bulk products like frozen fruit, peanut butter and pierogies. Pierogies are, arguably, unrelated to smoothies, but they’re also my favourite ‘easy meal’ to keep in the freezer. Old ice cream pails or margarine tubs work perfectly for easy-stacking freezer grabs and I am so so excited to be free from the single-use packaging for these staples!

Truth bomb here: I spend way too much time (and probably money) at La Boule. All my time there sipping teas and munching on croissants has made me realize how often I buy bagged bread from the grocery store when I could be pursuing better crafted loaves sans plastic packaging. So here’s the dreamy bit—I’m going to make my own fabric bread bag. Sewing has never been my forte, but I think I’m up for the challenge.  Whether from my own home or from the Reuse Centre, giving old fabrics a new life not only keeps them out of the landfill, it also means that I won’t be wasting plastic bags for my bread on an almost-weekly basis. It might even allow me to visit new bakeries all around the city to find bread for my bread bag!

Last but not least: I’ve grown extremely affectionate about Veg in YEG. For those who have not heard of it, this is an urban farming group near the University of Alberta. They’re great for a couple of reasons: firstly, I can bring my organics and compostables and use their composting facility (thank you!); secondly, they sell incredible produce without the use of wasteful packaging that can be picked up or delivered to nearby areas. They operate on a pay-what-you-want structure which is such an important thing to have so near to the University (and in general). My favourite experience is Nicole showing up to my door with a reusable container full of luscious greens that I simply transfer to my own glass jar for storage. My greens stay fresh for longer and we forgo any wasteful packaging.  Win, win!

My more recent deliveries have included garlic, onions, tomatoes, kale, beets, sage, oregano, thyme and a special blend of herbs for making tea.

Nicole also let me take a sweet rainy-day photo of her--what an actual angel.

Cheers! And happy harvest season.

Photos & Submission by Jess B (Volunteer)

Sustainable Fashion in YEG

My name is Jessica (for the purpose of clarification since we now have two Jessica's on the Reuse blogging team, I am Jessica T!) and I'm so excited to get started on sharing my experiences, knowledge, news, and random tidbits of information about reducing waste, recycling, and reusing!

To give a bit of background about me, I'm a third year Professional Communications student at Grant MacEwan University. I've been so lucky to be involved in such an amazing community, where environmental awareness, sustainability, climate change, government, politics, social and cultural issues have been the forefront of discussions during my time as a student. Having been inspired by many dedicated individuals, I decided that volunteering with this blog was the perfect way for me to contribute my voice to this sustainability movement.

During my time as a contributor, I hope to share fascinating and forward-thinking news, information regarding reuse, upcoming or newly-emerged sustainability events happening within our city, and my personal experiences of reuse projects that I will (hopefully) be accomplishing!

To start, I have to share about a great event I attended recently. If you live in Edmonton and are tuned into sustainability news, you've perhaps heard about this one!

The Wardrobe Exchange
(Instagram: @thewardrobeexchangeyeg)

The Wardrobe Exchange YEG describe themselves as a "curated second-hand shopping event that lets you sell + resell clothing and accessories to the public... The Wardrobe Exchange promotes sustainable fashion by championing communal thrift culture." The event is open to all guests and anyone can apply to be a vendor. 

This recent event was only their second held in Edmonton (the first one was in March 2019) and there were already over 200 vendor applicants! It's so great to know that the Edmonton thrift culture is thriving, and events like these just make it so much easier for everyone, even those not familiar or skilled at thrifting (yes, finding worthy goodies at thrift stores takes skill, lots of patience, and a good eye) to partake in and enjoy a one-of-a-kind sustainable shopping experience!

What I love about this event is that it fuels the new generation of sustainability-aware entrepreneurs. One of my friends participated as a first-time vendor and told me that she believes this event was timely, meant-to-be, and an affirmation to start her own consignment business. She had been collecting clothes for years for this purpose, and was finally able to sell most of it at the event! 

Although the next official event date is not available yet, it's reasonable to expect that they'll be back next spring. I believe that as this event continues to grow bigger each year, thrift culture will take on a whole new identity within Edmonton and be a main driving force in reusing fashion! If you are interested in acquiring some unique finds or selling some you have saved, definitely keep an eye out for this in the future. I will be back next month with more stories, news, or ideas to share about Reuse!

- Jessica T (Volunteer)

2019 Waste Reduction Hero

In early September, we had the opportunity to present this year’s Waste Reduction Hero Award at the Edmonton in Bloom awards ceremony. This was a special opportunity for us as we awarded one of our long-time volunteers.

Charlotte started volunteering at the Reuse Centre in November 2011. For eight years, Charlotte has sorted through materials donated to the Reuse Centre with a smile on her face or a story of joy to share with fellow volunteers, staff and customers. Charlotte began her volunteer work at the Reuse Centre through a partnership with Goodwill Industries of Alberta and later graduated from their program. She continues to volunteer independently and remains committed to her role as a citizen supporting sustainability within our community.

Charlotte is a great leader and mentor to her fellow volunteers. She takes personal ownership of contributing to the mission of the Reuse Centre each shift as she arrives with items to donate, whether it be gift bags, beautiful stationery, old calendars or jigsaw puzzles. Charlotte and her fellow volunteers have sorted more than 2 tonnes of items since the start of 2019. 

Over the last 8 years, Charlotte has volunteered close to 3,500 hours. She has made many friends over the years and customers and staff greatly appreciate her presence and strong work ethic.

We are grateful to all of our volunteers and the work that they help us do here at the Reuse Centre and in the community.

Interested in volunteering at the Reuse Centre? Check out our website to view current opportunities.

Vanessa (staff) 

Reuse Stumbles

My name is Jess and I am shiny new to the Reuse Centre blogging team. I’m also somewhat new to this effort and energy directed toward the earth, our environment, and waste management, which means I make a lot of mistakes. One reason why I've been really excited to join the team is the push it’ll give me to learn more about the city because I’m also new to Edmonton. It’s a lot of newness. So I guess the commitment I’m making to this blog is to keep trying to find zesty ways to reduce my waste and reuse what I can, and also to keep digging into the incredible community of environmentally conscious people here in Edmonton.

An unrelated photo of me in a swath of greenery as a formal introduction. So pleased to be here.

To sort of sum me up, I’m not Martha Stewart or a DIY queen. I’m a 24-year-old creative who works two jobs and plays pretend mom to a giant dog. I love and yearn for practical waste solutions and I also really like to laugh at myself.

A few months back I became simply overwhelmed by the massive amount of waste produced by my ancient drying machine and the seemingly endless toilet paper rolls that litter both our recycling bin and at times our trash (ugh). Ever helpful, The Internet advised stuffing the rolls with lint for easy fire starters. This seemed so practical to me—we have a fire pit in the yard and I’m fairly useless when it comes to starting a real fire. So we took a few months’ worth of rolls and lint and made fire starters that we keep ready in a bag near our back door.

Well. Let me tell you...

I used one fire starter as a test while doing some yard work, and haven’t used a single one since. Turns out that between fire ban season and monsoon season this year, we don’t actually enjoy many fires.

Moreover, there are SERIOUSLY SO MANY fire starter rolls. And surprise, surprise, the lint and rolls keep piling up. I could produce enough for my entire community I bet.

What a lovely reminder for me that reuse isn't always as easy as it's made out to be. But the stumbling is important! While our beloved Internet reuse lists and Pinterest hacks can host incredible gold mines, this attempt left me searching for a different answer—even if that answer means considering a more radical zero waste bathroom approach. But ... maybe I’m still working up to that one.

 - Jess (Volunteer)