Personal: Recycling at Bottle Depots
Recycling is not just good for the environment, but you could even make some extra money. Re-use and Recycle - scrap for cash! The government requires that many consumer containers be recyclable, and still others re-useable. To prevent wasting re-useable containers, manufacturers and retailers may charge a deposit on the containers when you buy the products inside. These deposits are returned when customers return the containers.
Recyclable containers in Ontario with a deposit include:
- Aluminium beer cans (Canadian brands only). Return to the Beer Store for $.10/can refund.
- Beer Bottles (Canadian brands only). Return to the Beer Store for $.10/can refund
- Refillable soft drink ontainers. Return to retailer for $.40/bottle refund.
Scrap metal dealers will accept certain types of recyclable metals in sufficient quantities. Some schools even save their empty aluminum beverage cans, and sell them to scrap dealers as a fundraising initiative.
Blue Box Recycling
Waste should be separated into two streams: containers and paper/fibres, each in its own blue box.
The Region of Waterloo currently provides blue boxes free of charge for residents. They are available for pick-up at the following locations throughout the city:
- Cambridge Weekly on your garbage day
- Kitchener Weekly on your garbage day
- Waterloo Weekly on your garbage day
- North Dumfries - pickup 4 times a year, or at the Ayr Transfer Station, 1766 Reidsville Rd
- Wellesley - pickup 4 times a year, or at the Crosshill Transfer Station, 2730 Manser Rd
- Wilmot - pickup 4 times a year, or at the Wilmot Transfer Station, 1788 Huron Rd
- Woolwich - Weekly on your garbage day, or at the Elmira Transfer Station.
All waste must be placed at the curb in front of your property between 7:00 p.m. on the evening before and 7:00 a.m. on the morning of your scheduled waste collection day, and blue boxes should weigh under 13.9kg (30lbs) when placed out for collection.
Over 500 million containers are returned each year, which is about 80 - 90 per cent
of all those containers manufactured and sold. Of course, many of the balance are
accounted for by the "blue box" program and are recycled, so our land fills are not
burdened with unnecessary waste materials.
|
