All over North America, waste is a serious problem. In Woolwich Township, we want to find positive ways to deal with the wastes produced by homes, businesses, industries, and farms. The ideal, of course, is a waste-free society, where nothing is thrown away. Until we get there, reducing, re-using, and recycling will continue to be important.

Waste at Home
Woolwich residents produce about 1.5 bags of garbage per household per week. Our community survey found that 90% of households use their blue box for recycling and that 58% compost kitchen and garden waste. This is an excellent record and something to be proud of. Local businesses too are active in managing their waste as efficiently as possible. During the summer of 1997, a small survey of 13 Woolwich businesses produced an impressive list of planned and proposed changes to improve waste handling practices.

Waste in Industry
Many industries these days are not only recycling their wastes, they are making profit from waste. In Woolwich we have several industries that specialize in reusing other people’s waste. Krumbs, an Elmira company, hauls dry bakery wastes such as cookies and cereal to feed mills for livestock feed. Scavenger Recyclers collects oil and fat wastes from restaurants and also sells it to feed mills. Fulton’s Salvage picks up and hauls old cars, farm implements, and other scrap metal to scrap yards in Hamilton and Guelph to be melted down and reused. Safety-Kleen cleans and sells used engine oil. Bumble Bee Recycling picks up and recycles a variety of metal houslhold items such as stoves, propane tanks, air conditioners, and computers.. These industries show us what a resource waste can be if we recognize it.

Waste on the Farm
Traditionally, farms were perfect recyclers with crops being fed to the livestock which produce manure to put back on the fields to fertilize the crops. Today it is more difficult to use waste from farming. Manure is still a valued waste product but other wastes such as plastic jugs from chemicals and fuels or plastic used for weather protection are difficult, if not impossible to safely reuse. Traditionally, many farms have buried garbage in their own ‘landfill’ in the back. Today this is less common as we realize the dangers private dumps pose to our children.

For More Information:

Assuring Protection for Tomorrows Environment - 669-8927

Ontario Clean Water Agency - 664-2033

Region of Waterloo

Recycling - 883-5100 Composting - 883-5100 Hazardous Waste - 883-5100

Also, contact local entrepreneurs involved in recycling and reuse, including:

Habitat for Humanity Re-Store - 747-0664

Bumble Bee Recycling 669-5526

Woolwich Information Centre Thrift Shop - 669-1129