Participate in Waste Reduction Week 2008

Waste Reduction Week Theme: Too Good To Waste

Waste Reduction Week in Alberta
The Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA) is the lead agency for promoting WRW week in Alberta. As the provincial Ministry responsible for setting targets and policies related to waste management, Alberta Environment is a supporter of Waste Reduction Week.  Since the inception of Waste Reduction Week in 2001, Alberta Environment has worked closely with the Recycling Council of Alberta to develop provincial programs that encourage businesses, communities and classrooms to get involved in waste reduction and to host local events.

Why Reduce Your Waste?
Much of the concern around waste management includes the amount of natural resources that are removed from the Earth to produce goods for our consumption and use. Some of the things we buy are meant for long-term use, while many are single-use items. Choosing products with little or no packaging, buying in bulk, considering items that are durable, and practicing the 3Rs of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, all help to reduce waste. We should avoid burying resources in a landfill when they might be useful for another purpose, be recycled into a different product, or give us a good return on our investment.  As some say: "one person's garbage is another person's gold."

Reducing Waste

• In the workplace, consider your purchasing policies, waste minimization activities, energy efficiency actions and water conservation measures. Make use of a team of volunteers to tackle waste reduction in the workplace. When there is a group dedicated to the task of looking at wasteful habits and there is support from management, the approach is almost infectious and there is no end to what can be accomplished.
• At home, examine your buying and disposal habits. Do you choose durable goods over disposables? Do you bring your own reusable bags and carry a reusable mug with you? Do you separate materials for reuse, recycle and compost?
• At school, students can monitor the school's efficient use of resources: lights off in empty classrooms, no leaky taps, double-sided photocopying and recycling bins available for everyone to use. Reducing waste = money saved.

Learn More

Waste Reduction Week 2008 is a great time to start taking action on waste:

• Learn more about waste and pollution prevention and conservation. 
• Learn more about composting and waste reduction by searching the Information Centre and Environmental Education websites.  
• Compare kitchen waste in 2006 to 1905, at A Century of Kitchen Waste (Note: best viewed using Internet Explorer).
• Learn more about reducing, reusing and recycling on SortItOut.ca that highlights Edmonton’s waste management system.

Get Involved!

Local and National Events Listing Online. Click on "Register" under the appropriate category on the left side of the website, to add your event.

Businesses Taking Action on Waste

Show us how you are effectively managing your waste and you may win a great prize for your community.

Tell us about your successful waste reduction initiatives. The One Simple Act program wants Alberta based businesses to share their success stories and celebrate their waste reduction initiatives. The Businesses Taking Action on Waste contest is being launched in conjunction with Waste Reduction Week—October 19-25, 2008. This is a nationally recognized week promoting a waste conservation ethic. The submission deadline is March 31, 2009, and contest winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.

• Contest Information and Submission Form
• Participation Certificate