Did you know that 93% of Manitobans have access to a residential recycling program?
Over the last 20 years recycling has become a daily routine in most Manitoba homes. It’s as simple as taking out the garbage without the concern of damaging our environment. Gone are the days of separating materials and spending endless amounts of time rinsing items of food residue. Thankfully, we live in a province where recycling is made easy. Now, all you have to do is just pop it in the bin!
We’ve all heard it before, “reduce, reuse and recycle.” Some of you may wonder what it means or how to incorporate these ideas into your daily routine. Luckily, it’s not as difficult as you may think. When combined, the three R’s complement each other and together create a system that helps shrink your ecological footprint.
One of the best ways you can have a positive impact on the world in which we live is to “reduce” your consumption of goods, services and natural resources. It doesn’t have to be difficult (we are not talking about moving into a cabin in the woods). Reducing incorporates common sense ideas like purchasing items with less packaging, using public transit, taking shorter showers and turning off the lights when you leave the room. You can even invest in a composter or a rain barrel to save energy and money.
Instead of throwing things away, try to find new ways to “reuse” them again. Initiatives like hand-me-downs, garage sales, donations as well as using reusable travel mugs, water bottles and food containers are an easy way to start. Also, make sure you remember your reusable bag when visiting the grocery store or mall. If you forget you can always reuse the single-use plastic bags in your home for other things like garbage bags or animal waste pickup.
Many of the items we use every day like paper, cardboard, glass and milk cartons are made out of materials that can be “recycled”. Recycling turns products that would otherwise become waste into new products and resources. Last year alone, Manitoba collected 75,409,180.82 kgs of residential recyclable materials; that’s enough to fill Investors Group Field over 5 feet deep. Recycling ensures useful materials aren’t wasted, and reduces the related consumption of raw materials and energy in manufacturing.
When you recycle, you’re also helping to protect natural resources, improving the quality of groundwater and reducing the effects of global warming. You’re not only doing the right thing for our environment – you’re also doing the right thing for the economy. In addition to creating jobs, recycling may also provide revenue based on volume and market conditions for your municipality.
Recycling is good for our province and good for our environment. The simple idea of “reducing, reusing and recycling” can have a lasting effect in the world in which we live. Together, we all win with recycling!
