We live in a world where resources are finite. According to the United Nations, consumer demand is growing at a faster rate than population growth. Together, these factors are putting extreme pressure on the environment. When done properly, recycling is an easy way to help reduce the pressure on the environment. 

Recycling diverts waste from landfills, conserves energy and resources, funds a green economy, and reduces pollution. Landfills are important assets to our community, and we can extend their life by recycling our waste. As our global population grows, this increases the demands on our planet’s finite resources. Recycling keeps our resources in circulation, and the economy and uses less energy than extracting raw materials from the earth. Recycling creates local jobs, funds a green economy, and is healthier overall for our planet.

Recycling only works when done properly. Recycling put in the wrong place is not recycling, it’s contamination, it will end up costing the recycler more time and money to sort it out, and it will eventually end up in a landfill. Spend a little time setting up your systems, learn how to properly recycle, and purchase recycling-friendly items.

1. Set up your system. Place recycling bins in convenient locations in your home. When your indoor bins fill up, take them to larger bins outside, in a shed, or in a garage until they are ready to be emptied or taken to a depot. 
2. Learn what goes where. Over 100 items are accepted in curbside recycling. If you are not sure, the City’s Waste Wise app has a sorting game and a database with hundreds of materials you can search. Take some time and learn where to recycle the things you normally buy.
3. Purchase recycling-friendly alternatives. If something you buy is difficult to recycle or can’t be recycled, look for alternatives that can be recycled. For example, some coffee pod brands are easier to recycle than others and plastic-lined paper bags can’t be recycled. Switch to alternatives that come in recyclable packaging.