Ideas to reduce waste in Woolwich

• keep up the good work!
• reduce needless paper usage - like surveys, memos, reminders...
• repair and reuse old or broken things
• more garage sales and curb-side swaps
• impose a garbage bag limit
• have a Goods Exchange Day
• use cloth diapers
• consume less
• manufacture materials that last 10 years instead of 1 year
• use only what you need
• provide free compost and rain barrels
• dispose of leaves better
• fine households that do not use blue boxes
• eliminate individual packaging
• reuse more items. Everyone can find creative ways to reuse items.
• items thrown into the garbage dump should be given to the thrift shop instead. The Public should be better educated about one person’s garbage being another’s treasure
• have a yearly pick up of large articles - stoves, washers, furtniture etc... to be taken to used outlets
• businesses should get together a list of their waste products and make those products available to other businesses in the township

"I’m a great believer that waste makes want." Cleason Freeman of Elmira quotes the well-known adage as a way of explaining why he uses scrap lumber for his hobby of making wishing wells. Ten years ago Cleason began crafting the wells from new wood but now he no longer buys wood. He finds all the wood he needs in the new subdivision across the road where the construction companies throw away scrap lumber. "There’s too much thrown away today." Cleason says, "I’ve made houses before and we didn’t have any scraps left - we used it all. We had to make scraps when we needed them!"

Did You Know?

23% of people in Woolwich never compost kitchen or garden waste.

79% always use a recycling bin.

98% of local residents donate to and/or buy from second-hand goods stores.

14% of the material entering the Regional Recycling facility comes from Woolwich.