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Recycling peels appeals to Peel Region
June 23rd, 2007
- Brampton Guardian
Slip those banana peels and other organic waste into your new green bin!
Since April 2, many residents have been participating in the Peel Region weekly organics recycling program in Brampton, Mississauga, and the Town of Caledon.
All households receiving curbside collection should now have their green bin, kitchen container, and instructions. During this initial stage of the organics recycling program, residents who live in apartment buildings and condominiums cannot participate.
Food scraps, used tissues and paper towels make up about 30 per cent of all our garbage. The region will now reroute this material away from landfill sites by converting it into rich compost, a dark, earthy substance much like soil.
The program will help the region reach their goal of diverting 70 per cent of waste from landfill by 2016. It will also contribute to Peel's environmental sustainability because compost is a beneficial, renewable resource. If we all pitch into our green bins, we can reach these diversion goals one household at a time.
Feed your green bin...
Food Waste: Baked goods, bones, cereal, coffee grounds and filters, dairy products, eggs/eggshells, flour and grains, fruit, grease and fat, meat and fish (raw and cooked), nuts/shells, pasta and rice, sauces, tea bags and loose tea, vegetables
Paper Products: Cotton balls, facial tissues, greasy pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, paper towels, napkins and plates, shredded paper (loose)
Other items: Hair, house plants (soil removed), pet fur, sawdust, wood chips/shavings
Do not feed your green bin...
Plastic of any kind (including grocery bags), aluminum foil, cigarette butts/ashes, diapers, oils, sanitary products, food wrap, wax paper-- these materials and many others will contaminate the finished compost. Visit http://www.regionpeel.on.ca/pw/waste/organics1 for a complete list.
Peel Region takes steps to minimize any odours, and their composting facilities meet or exceed provincial environmental standards for air, water and waste. Initial composting will take place at Peel's Integrated Waste Management Facility in Brampton and the Caledon Composting Facility. The compost material will be cured or finished at the Peel Curing Facility in Caledon. Businesses and residents in the area can purchased finished compost for their gardens and lawns.
Some people may have concerns about the organics waste containers. The outdoor green bin is pest-proof when sealed. Odours can be avoided by lining containers with newspaper, paper bags, certified compostable plastic bags, and by frequently washing containers with hot water. A dishwasher will safely clean the kitchen container.
Household organic waste completes the recycling loop from kitchen to garden. Central organics composting accepts waste that can't be added to regular backyard compost, like meat, bones and dairy products. However, residents are encouraged to continue their backyard composting to reap their own gardening benefits, and divert further waste from landfill sites.
Participating residents can find out more about the new Peel Region Organics Recycling Program by visiting www.peelregion.ca/pw/waste.
Trash Talk is presented by Brampton's Clean City Committee, a Committee of Council of the City of Brampton, with the generous support of the Brampton Guardian. The Clean City Committee is lead by community volunteers who have an interest in environmental issues in the City, and is supported by City staff. For more information, call 905-874-2828. For organics waste collection information, visit http://www.region.peel.on.ca/pw/waste/organics1 or call 905-791-9499. For parks-related matters in the city, call 905-874-2906.
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