A New Zero-Waste Market is Here!

* This post represents the views and opinions of the writer. The views and opinions are not those of the City of Edmonton or the Reuse Centre. These views are not intended to endorse any one particular individual or company but provide a list of resources and services to readers.

Many people make goals to adopt more sustainable behaviors. If you are like me and "reusing and reducing waste" is one of your priorities, then I have some great news to share!

Earlier this year, a new zero-waste market opened its doors. Re:Plenish is one of Edmonton's bulk shopping markets and offers household cleaning products, along with zero-waste options for personal hygiene products such as shampoo, conditioners, soap and makeup remover wipes. Inspired by seeing the amount of their own waste, owner Karina and Meghann wished for more alternatives and options for shoppers experiencing "eco-grief" as a result of waste that comes with purchasing conventional household products.

The market is located at 9912 77 Ave NW. See their website for current hours of operation. They also offer home deliveries and curb side pick up.

Although Re:Plenish is one of Edmonton's first bulk and zero-waste markets to open in Edmonton, this culture has been long upheld by other companies in our city. Earth's General Store "opened in 1991 and offered bulk cleaning products, bulk personal care products, cloth diapers, recycled paper, composters, composting worms, and a lot of other items that people could not easily find elsewhere in Edmonton." Over the years, they've offered “Refill Tuesdays” that supported their campaigns such as "Plastic Free July”. They also championed the complete elimination of plastic bags in their store on May 1st, 2019. To learn more about the services or products that they offer, visit their website.

Looking for more options to retail shop sustainably, check out this guide by The Eco Hub that highlights food, clothing, beauty, health, and household shopping alternatives in Alberta (with many options provided in Edmonton), or this resource list created by Wastefree Edmonton.

On a final note, I am so excited to see the awareness and momentum growing within Edmonton's consumerism culture, and even more excited to learn about the increasing sustainable options available to us! Remember readers - this is all made possible because of your advocacy on this issue - so let's continue to champion for a greater reduce and reuse culture! 

Jessica T. (Volunteer)

Lets Compost!

This post is a summary of how to start composting. For a thorough and detailed guide, check out edmonton.ca/compost. 

Composting is reusing your waste and turning it into useful decayed organic matter. This is the stuff you can mix with your garden soil to provide your plants and flowers with rich nutrients. Home-produced compost will enrich soil and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers for your garden. Reduce the amount of organic waste that ends up in the landfill and have a blooming and healthy lawn and plants during summer, it’s a win-win!

Food scraps that end up at the bottom of landfills, decay in an environment that has no oxygen present. Lack of oxygen promotes formation of methane gas, which is a harmful greenhouse gas that is 26 times more potent than carbon dioxide. However, composting is done in the presence of oxygen. So, food scraps that are composted in your backyard will instead release carbon dioxide (like it should in the natural carbon cycle). Carbon and nitrogen also stay in the finished compost and are great for the health of your garden.

Thinking of giving composting a try? This is what you can do:

Purchase or Make a Compost Bin

The bin should have enough holes for air to pass through. This how to guide has a number of styles to choose from. For more information on composters, visit edmonton.ca/compost.

Learn What to Compost

Image Credit: Radhika

Get Started

Now, composting is pretty easy. It should have a good balance of green stuff (nitrogen) and brown stuff (carbon).

Image Credit: Radhika

Put a layer of brown stuff at bottom to start. Alternate between putting a layer of green stuff and then brown stuff. Make sure clumps are broken into small pieces. Mix fresh material in with the layer below. Add water to the bin, if it is too dry. Make sure your compost is turned or fluffed once every week or so. 

Troubleshooting

If your compost runs out of oxygen it can start to smell. Make sure it is getting enough air by fluffing compost and breaking up clumps. 

Nitrogen is rich in moisture, so too much nitrogen can lead to a very wet and stinky compost. Whereas carbon is dry, so too much carbon will lead to a lack of moisture needed to decay waste properly. So the key is to have a good balance. If compost is too wet, add more brown material and aerate. If compost is too dry, add more green stuff or some water.

In winter, to protect the compost from excessive moisture, the bin can be moved to the garage or a shed. If compost is kept outside in winter, it should receive some sunlight whenever it can. It can also have straw bales stacked around the bin to provide it with some insulation. 

A Fun Alternative to Outdoor Composting:

Not everyone can compost in their backyards or patios. Vermicomposting is a good alternative. Vermicomposting uses red wiggler worms, as they are incredible garbage eaters and they produce rich compost. All you need is a small bin with a few red worms and your food waste. Oh, and worms also speed up the decaying process so it’s a win-win-win!

You can reuse a plastic bin for vermicomposting with small sized holes in the top for airflow. 

For vermicomposting, add newsprint torn into long strips to your bin. You can also include small amounts of potting soil, along with straw, dried leaves, dry houseplants and crushed eggshell to your container. This bedding will ensure your worms’ proper health. After the bin is full of these materials, sprinkle it with some water so it is as damp as a wrung out sponge. Add your worms. Now you can start feeding the bin and worms with green scraps (fruit, vegetables, plant leaves), make sure to use a different part of the bin each time you feed them.

Vermicomposting bin with the bedding Source: edmonton.ca/wormcompost

After about three months, the original bedding will have decreased in size. At this point compost can be harvested and new bedding can be added for the cycle to repeat (leaving the worms in the bin)!

If you want to use worms for your outdoor composting, brown earthworms eat organic waste in gardens. Red wiggler worms can’t survive our climate, which is why they are used in indoor composting.

Final tips!

• Compost should stay as wet as a wrung-out sponge. 

• Worms like to be at room temperature.

• Keep compost bins on bricks to leave room at the bottom for air to circulate.

• You can store food waste under the sink in a bin throughout the day and throw it in your compost pile all at once.

Submission by Radhika (Volunteer)

The Power is Yours!

I've never been a big fan of practices that are considered wasteful or that may be harmful to the environment.  Maybe that's because I grew up watching Captain Planet guard the earth and The Raccoons protect the forest.  I was taught to be aware of pollution and to be a good global citizen by putting litter in its place. 

Graphic by Charlene

As a kid, I was lucky enough to participate in programs and initiatives that supported the environment.  I took school field trips to logging sites, where we helped forestry services with tree planting.  I still remember how exhilarating it felt to physically place those tiny, baby trees in their new earthy homes.  I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air, exercise, and the opportunity to make a difference.   

Since the invention of the internet, it has become exponentially easier to learn about and discuss our impact on this earth.  Knowledge is being shared across the globe every day.  While this has certainly been helpful, it's also made it clear that there's so much more work to be done. 

Graphic by Charlene

There are many simple and accessible changes that I’ve made to lessen my impact on our planet.  When I learn a new way to complete an everyday task that presents an environmentally-friendly alternative to the norm, I try to adjust my lifestyle.  I'd like to share a few practices that I've adopted.

Low-Impact Dusting

Let’s face it, dust bunnies are everywhere!  They congregate in corners and hide behind doors.  If you’re not careful, they invite all their friends and family over for a party.  My house regularly hosts conventions for a small army of the biggest dust bunnies known to man*.
*not scientifically proven

I’ve found vacuuming tends to leave a trace amount of dust behind, that's particularly noticeable on hard surfaces.  So I utilize a few tools that don’t produce the waste involved with disposable dusting products:

• reusable container
• cloth that’s not too fancy
• small amount of tap water

For the container, I typically rinse and reuse a small plastic butter/margarine tub, but you could use the dish or bucket of your choice.  If you don't have the right container at home, the Reuse Centre carries an assortment of types and sizes, based on donations.  Reusable cloths are widely available, and there are many DIY options too.  For example, old holey t-shirts can be cut up into small squares, or you may already have a selection of dishcloths ready for retirement.  Face towels are good options too.  If you choose a reusable cloth, the impact can be further minimized by removing/rinsing as much dirt or grime as you can using your water bin, then tossing the cloth into a wash cycle with other clothes.  When I'm done dusting, I "donate" the dirty water to my compost farm!

Cardboard Creativity

I prefer cardboard to plastic, but end up with a lot of it at home!  I've begun shredding smaller packages and spreading them in my compost farm.  For those without compost worms, cardboard containers make great reuse!  Think... wrapping for presents, packaging for parcels, even everyday organization around the house.  Use cardboard to separate drawer contents and keep small objects contained.  Cardboard boxes are also great if you plan to move!

Have you discovered a great way to reduce, reuse and save?  

Please leave us a comment and share your ideas for supporting the environment!

Submission and artwork by Charlene (Volunteer)