Town celebrates waste reduction throughout town facilities

Tue, 22 Oct 2019

It’s Waste Reduction Week October 21 - 27

The Town of Oakville invites residents to take part in Waste Reduction Week from October 21 – 27. Waste Reduction Week was developed in 2001 by a coalition of 13 recycling councils and sister organizations from across Canada to remind us of ways to reduce waste in all facets of daily living. Since adopting a Zero Waste Policy in 2007, the town continues to make operational improvements to reduce and divert waste throughout all of its facilities.

“Reducing the town’s waste supports Council’s commitment to act on the climate change crisis,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “The town has significant greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and every step we take to reduce single use plastics and other waste contributes to these goals.”

The town has removed the majority of single use plastics, including plastic straws, single use coffee pods, condiment packages, plastic cups and lids, and stir sticks from town facilities and continues to find ways to divert waste from our landfills. This year, the town stopped printing its recreational swim and skate schedules and moved to an online only schedule, saving an estimated 40,000 sheets of paper annually.

To further improve waste reduction and diversion, select town facilities:

• have removed paper towels from select washrooms and change rooms where hand dryers already exist
• make use of composting where deemed acceptable by Halton Region
• add recycling bins to all arena referee rooms
• provide outdoor waste diversion bins at main entrances and exits
• install outdoor water fountains at several high-use parks and sports fields

Look for these and other waste reduction improvements as you frequent town facilities this fall. Visit the Halton Region website for more information on how you can reduce and divert your waste. Learn more on our Environmental Stewardship page.