Facts

Beyond Recycling E- Recycling

Edmontonians reach out in many ways to reduce waste A leading edge facility to process electronic and electrical and take care of Edmonton’s environment. The City equipment from homes and businesses will begin operation in Edmonton, a global leader supports a variety of sustainable waste practices such as: late 2007. Recycled materials will include electric appliances of • Gasification Facility – An innovative gasification all types, computer equipment, electrical tools, electric motors, facility to be constructed at the Edmonton Waste wiring and telecommunications equipment. in waste reduction Management Centre will enable Edmonton to divert up Recycling is good for the local economy to 90% of residential waste from landfill. It will convert Since initiating a curbside recycling program in 1988, Edmonton has become non-recyclable and non-compostable material to a Over 90% of the material collected for recycling is sold. Many syngas useful for transportation fuels and electricity companies in the Edmonton area are directly involved in a global leader in effective urban . Through recycling, production. It will be operational by 2012. processing recyclable materials: and composting programs, the City diverts close to 60% of residential • Reuse Fairs – started in 1992 as garbage fairs, Reuse • Can-Cell Industries Inc. – newspapers and mixed waste from landfill. The goal is to divert 90% by 2012. Fairs bring together communities and charities to collect are turned into cellulose insulation. and distribute needed items for local programs. • EMCO – cardboard, boxboard and mixed paper are used In 2006, community leagues and offices hosted 14 fairs, to make building paper and shingles. collecting material for more than 150 organizations. • Alta – household metal is used to make rebar and • Edmonton Reuse Centre – Based on the ongoing tractor/grader blades. success of Reuse Fairs, the Edmonton Reuse Centre was The world looks to Edmonton for answers opened on a trial basis in 2007. It offers all the benefits on recycling. Here’s why: of Reuse Fairs year-round. Recycling is good for the environment • Reuse and Recycling Directory – an online service • Edmonton has one of the most • The use of Eco Stations (year-round launched in 2005 for residents to find local charities, Because of recycling, landfill space, natural resources and energy comprehensive and convenient recycling household hazardous waste depots) is service agencies and businesses interested in reusable are conserved and less landfill gas (a major contributor to systems anywhere. increasing by 15% each year. In 2006, household items. Over 250 references are listed at greenhouse gas emissions) is released into the atmosphere. • All residents and small businesses 130,000 vehicle visits were made to the www.edmonton.ca/reusedirectory. • Producing aluminum from instead of bauxite cuts energy can recycle with the Blue Bag program for two stations. use and air pollution by 95%. It also greatly reduces • Master Composter/Recycler Volunteer Program single family homes, the Blue Bin program – since 1991, more than 500 graduates from the greenhouse gases. Recycling 500 tonnes of aluminum is for apartments and condominiums and In 1988, when curbside recycling was City’s award-winning course have served as “green” equivalent to removing 1,732 cars from the road in one year. Recycling Depots throughout the city for first introduced, only glass bottles and ambassadors in their communities, promoting • Making paper from discards instead of virgin timber saves all residents and small businesses. In 2006, jars, household metals and newspapers composting, recycling and reuse. forests, reduces energy use by up to three quarters, requires close to 50,000 tonnes of recyclables were were collected. Today, the program • Backyard Composting Education Centre – opened less than half as much water and reduces greenhouse gases. collected through the three programs. includes , cardboard, boxboard, in 1998 at John Janzen Nature Park, spring composting Recycling 500 tonnes of paper is equivalent to removing magazines, milk cartons, phone books and grasscycling workshops are held to demonstrate 285 cars from Edmonton’s roads. • Edmonton has an 88% voluntary and more. Residential organic how organic waste can be put to good use in homes participation rate in its curbside Blue Bag waste is composted and many and gardens. recycling program. more materials are also recycled • Grasscycling – leaving lawn clippings on the lawn • Ninety-one per cent of apartment and through Eco Stations, the as you mow is actively promoted as an easy way for condominium residents with access to Edmonton Waste Management homeowners to substantially reduce their waste. Forty Blue Bins voluntarily participate in the Centre and privately owned per cent of Edmonton homes practice grasscycling. multi-family recycling program. beverage container depots. • Christmas tree recycling – approximately 600,000 • Edmontonians rate their satisfaction with When a planned gasification natural Christmas trees have been collected since recycling and higher January 1990. The chipped trees are composted. facility is operational in than any other municipal service*. 2012, 90% of residential • Beverage container recycling – beverage container Questions? waste can be diverted from return depots in Edmonton collect more than 24,000 *City of Edmonton Quality of Life and tonnes of aluminum, glass, and poly-coated For information about recycling or any City of Edmonton waste Financial Planning Survey, June 2006 landfill. beverage containers annually. service, please visit our website at www.edmonton.ca/waste or phone the Waste Hotline at 496-5678.

100% Post-Consumer Fibre 100% Recycled

(10/2007) Comprehensive User-Friendly Recycling Programs Recycling at Eco Stations World-class sorting and All Edmonton residents and small businesses can recycle through convenient recycling programs: and the Edmonton Waste Management Centre processing facilities The Edmonton Waste Management Centre, located in northeast Edmonton, hosts a Blue Bag Curbside Blue Bin Recycling Community Recycling The City of Edmonton provides two unique collection of waste processing facilities. Collected recyclables are processed at Collection for houses, for apartments and Depots for all residents Eco Stations – comprehensive drop-off the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), one of the most advanced mixed material recycling facilities for household hazardous waste, operations in North America. This 6,000 square metre (64,000 ft2) facility processes duplexes and fourplexes condominiums and small businesses recyclables and landfill waste. approximately 40,000 tonnes of commingled recyclables per year. • In 2006, 130,000 visitors brought In 1999, Edmonton’s successful blue box In 2002, direct recycling collection was Edmonton’s recycling in paint, pesticides, electronics, oil recycling program graduated to the next offered to apartments, townhomes and needs are further products and more. What comes to the Materials Recovery Facility level - the Blue Bag program. Residents condominiums. Residents place clean, served by Community from Blue Bags and Recycling Depots? (by weight) simply place unsorted recyclables into loose recyclables into a blue Recycling Depots • The north side station opened in blue, see-through plastic bags. Collection located right on site. As with the Blue located at shopping 1999; the south side station in 1995. is more efficient and residents enjoy Bag program, no sorting is required. Of malls throughout the • A third location is planned for And what does it become? greatly increased those residents with Blue Bins on their site, city. Recycling Depots southwest Edmonton in 2008. convenience. 91% participate in the program. accept the same Residents can also bring waste and Eighty-eight per Newsprint materials as the Blue recyclable materials to the Edmonton Mixed Paper* cent of single 65% (including inserts) 17% Bag and Blue Bin Waste Management Centre (EWMC). family households programs, and provide Much of the material brought to Eco voluntarily boxboard, egg cartons, 24-hour access Stations and the EWMC is recycled newsprint or boxboard, participate in blue building paper, asphalt at 20 locations. or reused. building paper, asphalt bag recycling. shingles shingles

Eco Station Material Metal Cans Cardboard antifreeze (glycol) becomes antifreeze 10% (food tins, empty aerosols) Total Blue Bag Volumes Collected* Total Blue Bin Volumes Collected* Total Depot Volumes Collected* (corrugated boxes) 3% motor oil/oil filters recycled by 40,000 7,000 8,000 rebar, tractor/grader blades oil recycler or used as fuel cardboard or boxboard 35,000 6,000 7,000 and other metal products

6,000 car batteries plastic casing becomes 30,000 5,000 5,000 new plastic casing; lead cells become new 25,000 4,000 4,000 lead cells; acid is reused in the production 20,000 3,000 2 Plastic Bags 3,000 of polystyrene % 1% Plastic Milk Jugs 15,000 2,000 (blue bags, grocery bags) 2,000 fluorescent tubes glass is used in the 10,000 1,000 1,000 manufacture of fibreglass; aluminum end plastic sheeting 0 0 caps are sent to an aluminum smelter; plastic lumber, plastic ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 bags, drainage pipe and *in tonnes *in tonnes *in tonnes mercury is distilled into usable mercury. other plastic products tires become rubber paving stones, Glass livestock cushions (green, brown or clear class) The Edmonton Why is composting good? The environmental choice plastic oil containers cleaned and Mixed Plastics 1% (containers for common • Far less waste is sent to landfills. recycled into various plastic products Composting Facility is a soil amendment that household products 1% used in reflective paint, the metals offers many long-term benefits. It helps • Local land improvement results from computer components such as yogurt, construction aggregate and plastics are recycled (about 90% of A large portion of Edmonton’s household soil retain water, improves porosity, the availability of quality compost to margarine, ice cream, the total weight) waste is organic matter (food waste, maintains soil pH balance, and adds restore organics to soils. soap, detergent, fabric garden trimmings, grass, paper) that Returnable Beverage nutrients. In addition to agricultural • Methane gas, produced as organic aerosol cans recycled as rebar or softener and shampoo) can be composted. The Edmonton and horticultural uses, compost can Containers waste decomposes in landfills, tractor/grader blades <1 Composting Facility processes that % be used to reduce dependence on contributes to global warming. a variety of items such material (along with municipal sewage large appliances, disposable returned to bottle depots chemical fertilizers, By diverting organic waste from as plastic lumber, carpet, biosolids) recycling it into a rich soil propane/butane cylinders, and all for revenue to control erosion landfill, greenhouse clothing, office supplies supplement. With composting and scrap metal recycled as rebar or and to improve gas emissions recycling combined, Edmonton is tractor/grader blades contaminated soils. are reduced. capable of diverting 60% of residential usable paint (including full or partially Milk Cartons, Juice Boxes * Mixed paper includes: magazines, catalogues, writing garbage from landfill. full aerosols) made available for free and loose leaf paper, junk mail, paper bags, envelopes, paper egg cartons, paperback books, hard cover to the public (Edmontonians have received tissue paper, napkins, toilet books (with covers removed), gift wrap (no foil about 100,000 litres of free paint since or metallic kinds), cereal boxes, telephone books, <1% tissue and writing paper computer and photocopy paper. the first Eco Station opened in 1995)