Welcome Spring! Even with COVID-19 continuing, seeing the trees coming back to life, smelling the early flowers, and feeling the warmth of the sunshine, certainly helps revive our senses and renew our spirits.

It's a time of activity with yards to tidy, pots and gardens to plant, and perhaps painting, fixing and renovating. We've got you covered in this edition with the waste-related information you may need and, of course, some extra tips and tidbits to keep you in the know.
Celebrate, discover, and regenerate this season.
COVID-19 update
  • Go to the Region's website for information about the vaccine, priority groups, etc.
  • Please protect collection staff and reduce litter by putting all garbage in bags, and using the correct types of liner bags for your green bin organics. Securely close all bags.
3 ways to help the great outdoors
  1. Recycle your yard waste. Here's the 2021 calendar and a list of what is acceptable. Please no litter, garbage, rocks or soil. (And remember to rinse out and recycle plastic plant pots and trays. Put them with other containers in your blue box.)
  2. Use compost! The Region makes compost out of your yard waste. It's available for free at our sites, as supplies last.
  3. Prevent litter! Check out our new flyer on how to prevent blue box-related litter, and our new litter page, too!
5 helpful links for when you spring into action
  1. How to handle renovation waste. Remember that empty, dry paint cans and empty aerosol cans can go into the blue box! And please put all garbage, such as bits of drywall, in bags, even if you use garbage cans. This makes collection safer (no dust).
  2. How to set out waste when your street is under construction
  3. How to manage your backyard composter.
  4. Rules and limits for bulky items. This includes removing nails and bundling lumber.
  5. How to dispose of fertilizers and pesticides.
Program reminders for the next 3 months
April 22, Earth Day: Do what you can to help our environment and community. (See Learn more, Do more for some ideas.)

May 24, Victoria Day: No change to collection. Please set out your items by 7 a.m. Our drop-off sites (including compost pick-up) are closed to residents.

June 5, World Environment Day: Join #GenerationRestoration.

June 8, World Oceans Day: Check out solutions to help our oceans, including measuring your plastics footprint, and putting cigarette butts in the garbage,

June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day: Learn about The Great Festival of Light, Medicine from Nature, and so much more from the resources on the federal website.

July 1, Canada Day: No change to collection. Our drop-off sites (including compost pick-up) are closed to residents.
Since we're staying at home, many are cooking and baking more, and ordering delivery. This can create more waste, not only packaging, but food scraps. Please do what you can to reduce what you put in the garbage:
  • Use these tips to reduce food waste. And check out the Region's Healthy Living page for information on food skills and healthy eating.
  • Put all food scraps in a liner bag and place in your green bin. Remove any packaging, stickers and twine.
  • If you get food delivered or get take-out, reuse paper bags as liners for your green bin, and recycle plastic containers in your blue box (but no Styrofoam of any kind).
Tools to help:
  1. Use our Waste Whiz to search an item and learn how to dispose of it. And test your knowledge with the Waste Whiz sorting game, too!
  2. Read through the flyers, brochures, and other publications we have online.
  3. Go on a virtual tour and check out our other videos to learn about why sorting is so important. (We have some new ones!)
Please sort your recyclables into two blue boxes - one for Containers, the other for paper products and plastic bags.
  • Do not bag containers - keep them loose.
  • Bag or bundle paper.
  • Put plastic bags and outer wrap in a bag and tie shut.
  • Flatten, size and bundle corrugated cardboard.
Landfill 2019
How much longer can we landfill?
Last year, we reviewed the plan for our one-and-only operating landfill located at 925 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Staff analyzed garbage compaction rates, forecasted the types and amounts of garbage we could receive, and considered many other factors. We now estimate that we have at least 27 years of landfill space left!
Thank you for your efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle all you can. It makes a difference.
Celebrate Earth Day every day!

Think global.
Act local.
Learn more, do more
Now more than ever, there are opportunities to sit in on interesting webinars and training on a wide range of subjects. Here's some to get you started:
  1. Sustainable Waterloo Region has an event coming up on April 22 - The Rise of Eco-Anxiety in a Changing Climate.
  2. Interested in organic agriculture? Go to the Province's website for this and other information.
  3. Check events pages for our local universities and college. For instance, Wilfrid Laurier Community Events including The Science and Philosophy of Environmental Changes.

Earth Day Canada's 2021 theme is Take Care of the Planet. Learn how you can do just that.

Use our online resources to learn about waste management in Waterloo Region. (While written mainly for teachers, they can be used by anyone!)

Did you know that Ontario's Ministries have statements of environmental values that guide their actions? Check them out. What are your environmental values?

The federal government recently released their plan for A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy.

Check out the latest edition of Environews to find out how green binning helps reduce greenhouse gases, the latest issues at our Materials Recycling Centre and more! Not a subscriber? Sign up now.