Burrito West Blog

Today at work I got to go tour a recycling sorting facility!  No, really, this is cool.

Since I've been doing stuff on waste diversion at work, I jumped at the chance to go on the tour and see how this stuff gets done in the real world. The guys in the Solid Waste department seemed somewhat surprised that I wanted to go, but it was neat, I'm glad I did. It's a new, state of the art automated sorting system. So all your recyclable containers that go in your blue bin go to a facility like this (or maybe one less fancy and less automated), and somehow the stuff all gets separated.  It's quite the operation. It involves magnets, air density separators, optical scanners, and a whole lot of conveyor belts.

And it forces me to tell you three things:

1. Do not. ever. put plastic bags in your recycling bin. ever.  I know it's convenient to put your containers in a bag and then toss them in the bin with the bag, but don't do it. really. seriously. They muck up ALL the machinery. There aren't words to convey what an immense headache they cause. There's no easy way to separate them out and they just get everywhere. Aside from actually gumming up the machinery, they contaminate the separated materials which makes it hard to market the recyclables. And if no one wants the recyclables, then it didn't do much good for you to recycle it, the city to pick it up, and the facility to try to separate it. All that effort wasted because of some stupid plastic bag. (you should be using reusable shopping bags anyhow, then you won't have this issue at all!)

So really, seriously: no plastic bags. Please.

2. Make a point of buying products with post-consumer recycled content. Please. It doesn't do a lot of good to recycle your used stuff if you don't help create a market for the material!  Do you buy paper towels with post-consumer recycled content? Did you know you can buy paper towels made of 100% post-consumer recycled content and it's just as good as stuff made from virgin forests that were cut down to make your disposable wipes?  Why do we allow forests to be cut down when we could be reusing our own materials?! This drives me bonkers. There shouldn't even be any paper towel on the shelf made from anything other than post-consumer materials.  Ditto for toilet paper and aluminum foil and many many other products.  Please take the time to seek out these products. I understand the markets for recyclable materials tanked a few years ago, meaning it's hard to find anyone who wants to buy the material (and the ones that do pay very little). Some (most?) of the materials get shipped overseas - which has a ridiculous carbon footprint and is silly because clearly we use enough material our own selves to eat up all the recyclables.

3. Please rinse out your containers. Have some pity on the facilities that store, sort, and process your materials.

Sorry for the PSA - but it's so easy for people to avoid thinking about this stuff, and it's rather important! In any case, yay for recycling! Let's do more and do better!

One of the side effects of being a sustainability nut, especially one who researches/talks about waste diversion and recycling stuff much of the day, is that it's kind of hard to get rid of stuff. Like, you can't just toss stuff out. It's more like trips to the recycling depot and the computer reuse place and the charity shops. It's not hard work, just more time-consuming than a trip to the dumpster in the alley.

Peter and I booked off part of Saturday to make a bunch of these trips which were long overdue and at each stop we practically high fived each other with the excitement of finally being rid of STUFF, stuff that's been sitting around waiting for us to deal with it for ages.  Dropped off a computer and some laptops at the place that wipes and rebuilds them to be used by those in need? SWEET. Trip to the thrift shop to unload some clothes and other miscellaneous stuff: AWESOME. Trip to the cleaners with the pillows and bedding and drycleaning: FANTASTIC.

In the end, it didn't actually take us that long at all - we should have done it months ago. And it felt good to know that none of the stuff is headed to the landfill.  Even the one item we put next to our dumpster got taken away by someone within 5 minutes (which is why we put it next to, rather than in the dumpster).

Let this be your PSA to make the effort to recycle/donate your unwanted goods, since throwing our stuff in a hole in the ground and burying it, is not really dealing with our waste in a very responsible manner.

A very interesting blog by a couple in Saint John who built a straw bale house and documented the process online. I'm still working my way through the archives but it's super inspiring to see someone building a home that's so easy on resources and is constructed to heat and cool as naturally as possible.

Ice withdrawal 'shatters record' Arctic sea ice shrank to the smallest area on record this year, US scientists have confirmed. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said the minimum extent of 4.13 million sq km (1.59 million sq miles) was reached on 16 September.The figure shatters all previous satellite surveys, including the previous record low of 5.32 million sq km measured in 2005. (BBC) see also: The North Pole Is Melting

But there's no need to worry - Harper seems pretty sure that "technology" will save us.

Also "The core principal of Canada’s approach is balance," he said. "We are balancing environmental protection with economic growth ..."

Too bad the environment isn't going to take a "blanced approach" when we reach the tipping point and the ecological systems we depend on are destroyed beyond repair.

This is all really hard to stomach because I'm currently reading "Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning" and the author (Monbiot) makes it VERY clear how clear the science is on the need to make DRASTIC reduction in carbon emissions RIGHT NOW. Yesterday in fact. Actually, a few years ago. The longer we wait to take serious action (i.e. a 94% cut in emissions) the harder it will me. It is impossible to over emphasize how much we need to make drastic changes to the way we operate.

One of Bill Rees' favorite comments in the course I took with him, on the topic of balancing social, economic, and environmental considerations - was that the environment would get along just fine without us and our economies while the reverse is very much not the case. Being balanced sounds very prudent and reasonable until you learn how very close we are to being past the point of no return where ecosystems fall into positive feedback loops that ensure their destruction. I can't recommend Heat enough. I'm thinking of mailing Harper a copy.

Top 10 Things You Can Do For The Environment
from George Monbiot, author of Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning

1. Cut your flights. Nothing else you do causes so much climate change in so short a time.

2. Think hard before you pick up your car keys. On average, 40% of the journeys made by car could be made by other means - on foot, by bicycle or on public transport.

3. Organise a "walking bus" to take the children to school.

4. Ask your boss to devise a "workplace travel plan" which rewards people for leaving their cars at home.

5. Switch over to a supplier of renewable electricity. You don't have to erect your own wind turbine, but you can buy your power from someone who has.

6. Ask a builder to give you an estimate for bringing your home up to R2000 standards.

7. Ditch your air conditioner.

8. Turn down your thermostat: 18 degrees is as warm as your house ever needs to be. You just have to get used to it.

9. Make sure every bulb in your house is a compact fluorescent or LED.

10. Do NOT buy a plasma TV: they use 5 times as much energy as other models.

For anyone itching to do a bit of good in the world, here's a great opportunity that just takes a bit of time and effort: the TD Great Canadian Shoreline cleanup:

"The TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is one of the largest conservation initiatives of the Vancouver Aquarium. What started over 12 years ago as a small beach cleanup by four Vancouver Aquarium employees has now grown into the second largest cleanup in the world (The U.S. is in first place - for now!)

Powered by Canadians, this program allows people from all regions and all walks of life to make a positive difference to their environment. Last year alone, over 40,000 Canadians registered to clean up 966 shorelines removing 84,708 kg of harmful shoreline litter.

The TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is the perfect opportunity for school groups, community groups, families, and concerned individuals to get involved in a hands-on conservation program. It provides a chance to be a part of an activity that has a real, measurable effect on the environment, both locally and globally. Cleanups are more than just collecting trash, they are examples of communities working together to create solutions that ensure our oceans and waterways are kept clean. "

There are cleanups organized all around the country and most are open to the public to help out. Just check out the website - there are cleanups scheduled throughout September.