Important Reminder From County Of Peterborough Not To Recycle Propane Cylinders

With camping season underway, the County of Peterborough wants to remind you that propane cylinders of all sizes must be taken to a household hazardous waste depot for disposal.

Recently, a camping-size propane cylinder was caught in the equipment at the recycling sorting facility and burst. Thankfully no one was injured but it is an important reminder not to place them in a Blue Box or garbage bag.

For information on depot locations and hours of operation, please visit the County of Peterborough website, or call the Waste Management Division at 705.775.2737.

If you're camping at an Ontario Parks location, make use of their Orange Drop bins to dispose of used propane cylinders. Check out this article on how they are able to divert 102,000 kg of cylinders from our landfills per year.

—post by Evan Holt

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Paper Coffee Cups Are Recyclable in Peterborough

A City of Peterborough release below reminds the public that Peterborough does recycle coffee cups...

A recent article in the Toronto Star told Torontonians to stop recycling their paper coffee cups. City of Peterborough Waste Management officials want residents here to know they can still recycle coffee cups in Peterborough.
 
“Coffee cups can be put into your 'Container' blue box and they will definitely be recycled.” says Waste Diversion Section Manager Virginia Swinson.  “As always, we remind people to first remove plastic lids and stir sticks, as these are contaminants.”
 
While not all coffee cups are making it into the blue boxes, the City’s most recent curbside audit suggest between 60% - 70% do.  The material is hand sorted at the City’s recycling facility, and is marketed along with the cartons that milk, juice and other liquid products come in.
 
“We really want all your paper coffee cups Peterborough!”  Swinson emphasizes that every municipality has different recycling programs, different ways of sorting, different priorities, and sometimes, different markets. Peterborough is not the same as Toronto.
 

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The City To Give Big Thumbs Up For The Best Blue Box Recyclers

The City of Peterborough is going to be giving a big “Thumbs Up!” to residents who are doing an excellent job of recycling this summer.

Collectively, the entire City is doing a terrific job—achieving a 57% diversion rate in 2014.

Certain households really stand out for their excellent recycling by using two blue boxes to separate containers from paper products and ensuring no garbage or hazardous materials find their way into the blue box.

City representatives will be in your neighbourhood this summer, searching for Peterborough’s best recyclers and thanking them with a “Thumbs Up” label for their blue box.

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Recycle This Post: This Is A Reusable Exchange Weekend

Peterborough, this is your last chance this year to participate in a Reusable Exchange Weekend this weekend.

These events are the perfect opportunity to pass along items you no longer want, and give them to someone who can use them—all for free.

From today (September 5th) to Sunday, September 7th, place reusable items at the curb on Friday evening of the event weekend. If items have not been taken by Sunday at 7:00 p.m., bring them back in.

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You Could Be A Gold Star Recycler & Win Prizes

This summer, the County and City of Peterborough have joined together and will be performing random inspections of blue boxes looking for Gold Star Recyclers. A Gold Star Recycler is someone who uses two blue boxes to sort their containers from their paper products, and their boxes are sorted correctly with no garbage, hazardous waste or electronics.

If you are a gold star recycler—a rock star of recycling—you will be left a gold star sticker, and will be eligible for some great prizes (see poster below for details on the prizes!).

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#RandomActsofGreen: CFGP's 7 Days Of Green (#7daysofGreen) Creates Exciting Social Media Initiative

Roll up your sleeves, Peterborough! The community is about to get its green on. The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough have announced an exciting new community initiative,  7 Days of Green (hashtag #7daysofgreen on Twitter). Why? To increase Peterborough’s creative dialogue about local green activities while building awareness around green living and giving. 

7 Days of Green kicks off April 16th with Random Acts of Green, a day when community members throughout the City and County are challenged to incorporate green activities into their lives—and each day forward—and share them on social media. Wondering what you could do? A few simple ideas to greenify your life a little more include:

  • Think before you buy: Purchase environmentally sustainable cleaning products and help keep our waterways toxin-free by using eco-friendly products (handy tip: you can get these products at the GreenUP Store!)
  • Compost your food waste: One-third of what we throw away at home could be easily diverted from landfills. The bonus is you get nutrient-rich compost for your garden.
  • Be water smart: Install aerators in your sink faucet and showerheads and reduce your water consumption by 30%—all without affecting the performance of your water system!

Starting April 16th, spread the word about Random Acts of Green. Why? Because every green act matters. Tweet your Random Acts of Green and pictures to @cfgp_ and use the hashtag #randomactsofgreen, or email your info and pictures to info@cfgp.ca and you’ll become a part of history.

Yep, history.

The Community Foundation is creating a community art installation from the images that you tweet and email that will be displayed over the next year throughout the community—starting at Lansdowne Place! 

For more information and a full schedule of 7 Days of Green activities, visit www.cfgp.ca/green (we're a proud sponsor of this). All events are open to the public.

To learn more about the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, go to their Facebook page or website. And if you're on Twitter, use the #7daysofgreen and #randomactsofgreen hashtags.

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City Of Peterborough Press Release On High Winds & Putting Out Blue Boxes

It's pretty gusty out there! Watch out for the tumbleweeds tumbleboxes on your way home from work that are scattered on the side streets. [UPDATED] And indeed, high winds are scheduled for all week—causing the City of Peterborough to issue this release Tuesday (April 2nd)...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2013 Peterborough, ON --
Blowing Recyclables
High winds are forecast to continue throughout this week. In order to reduce the amount of recyclable items blowing around City streets, residents are asked to please wait till the morning of your collection to place blue boxes at the curb.
Tips to avoid blowing recyclables include:
•    Do not over-fill blue boxes
•    Place paper and flattened cardboard sideways in your "Fiber and Plastic Film" box, rather than piling upwards.
•   Place lighter materials in a secure spot (e.g. put clear plastic trays underneath heavier steel and glass containers).

Residents are encouraged to write their address on their blue boxes, so they can be identified and returned if they should blow away from your property. Lost blue boxes will not be replaced for free.
For more details, please call the City of Peterborough Waste Management Division at 705- 742-7777, extension 1657.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Recycle Your Old Mattresses, Electronics & Such At Waste Facility This Friday For Environment Day

The City and County of Peterborough are joining together to host an Environment Day this Friday (October 19th) from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Peterborough Waste Management Facility (Landfill), located at 1260 Bensfort Road.

You can recycle carpet, mattresses, patio furniture, laundry baskets, kiddie pools and more. It will all get recycled at no charge to you.

You may also bring along your used electronics—such as computers, televisions and personal electronic devices—and any scrap metal items, including small appliances and power tools, metal hangers, pots and pans and more.

Tours of the landfill site will also be available for this day only. Click here for more deets.

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