recycle2shop.com

Victoria CRD will ban kitchen scraps from Hartland Landfill by Jan1, 2015 so at last we will all be able to compost non organic kitchen waste, waste that can be turned into life giving compost. The scraps, including meat, bones, grains, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, fruits and soiled paper products will be collected at curbside.  This will prolong the life of the landfill, the cost of collection being offset by the cost of having to prepare a new landfill in the near future. CRD estimates that 30% of landfill at the moment is kitchen scrap waste. In the meantime I will continue to use my Bokashi.

One day in August a visitor to Victoria stopped to chat recycling at Recycle2shop’s market stall on Government Street. Jim is a teacher in Montana and he told me about a Japanese scientist who has invented a machine to turn plastic trash into oil. Jim promised to send me the information so that I could share it with you guys. So here it is - courtesy of YouTube and Jim.

The Green Capital of Europe, Stockholm in Sweden aims to use only non-fossil fuels for heating by 2050. They already heat most of Stockholm with biofuel. BC’s landscape could be a twin to Sweden, except we have more land which we take for granted (or at least our government seems to-allowing old growth forests to disappear, for instance and pipelines threaten our shores).Here’s a thing - biogas from 100 banana peels can fuel a small car for 9k. Victoria could do with banana fuel…our landfill is soon going to overflow. Which reminds me, I need to bury my own anaerobic compost as my bucket is also soon going to overflow.
Here is a video meditation to help us achieve calm in the face of uncertainty and fear.

Produced by Steve Wollaston with support from Ian Mowll Courtesy of Greenspirit.org.uk

Music from Journeys into a Gold Horizon by Rafael Szaban www.indigoseamusic.com

Victoria CRD (Capital Regional District) has the best resource for ‘where to recycle’ at myRecyclopedia with how to recycle cassette tapes (does anyone know what those are anymore?) to how to recycle your dishwasher.

Annie Leonard and The Story of Stuff Project made this great little video that reveals the real story of trash.

There are more recent videos on the Story of Stuff website that explore more of what happens to our electronics and plastics. Annie advises us to take care of our gadgets - make them last, don’t replace them.

PPR - the French conglomerate parenting Stella McCartney, Gucci, Puma, Yves St Laurent et al - has announced a sustainability program and will offset its 2010 carbon footprint. Now this is a good thing of course, but why start with revamping the Puma cardboard shoe box? Cardboard is a perfect recycling material - it can even be composted in our back garden pile. Puma has substituted a mix of plastic and cardboard and is calling it a revolution in packaging…does ‘Emperor’ and ‘new clothes’ come to mind here? The packaging is a lovely red colour though.

Trench composting is a way to compost food scraps such as meat, dairy, breads and processed foods(cooked etc). Bury your waste in an 18-24″ trench or hole. It has to be deep to deter rodents and flies (including those pesky raccoons). So get shoveling. For more details go to Recycling FAQ.

I have been burying my scraps this past year.    I didn’t bury them deep enough and the raccoons dug up some bones which our puppy just loved!

I suppose burying scraps in winter wouldn’t work so well in my sister’s backyard in frozen Saskatoon (she hates it when I tell her I can garden all year round in Victoria).

Victoria regional district  (CRD) has compiled a list of recyclers for just about everything. You can find out where to take your ’stuff’ at myreclycopaedia.ca Anything you can’t put in the ‘blue box’, this website will help you find it a home .

News just in - Sunday Government Street Artisan Market may have to leave the streets (Victoria city council wants to give the street back to the motorists-bah humbug) and move to Centennial Square this summer.  If this does happen, Victoria will no longer have a “street” market.

view from the street

Government Street Market

Meanwhile, good news - the Winter Covered Market at Market Square (every 3rd Saturday) is a success story for locavors - free range chickens, eggs, veggies, mushrooms of all varieties, artisan breads and  goats cheeses.

Finally, funky Fernwood is hoping  to become a Transition ‘Town’ - the perfect place to downsize the gas guzzler.  Fernwood is also the home of the Compost Centre - a recycling triumph.

“Downtown waste collection for small businesses”  by bicycle and tricycle all with bin trailers and containers. See the whole story at reFuse.ca

"The double A train rides again"

Aaron Bichard started his recycling business in Duncan and along with Jason Adams from reFUSE has now brought this great idea to downtown Victoria businesses as reCYCLISTS.

His company was featured in The Globe&Mail on October 4 in the BC section. 

According to Shannon Moneo writing for G&M, the Downtown Business Association has partnered with reCYCLISTS to further the cause of low-emission and composting waste. So good news for our landfill site if all the downtown businesses take part.

Way to go reCYCLISTS…a real Green company.