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durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, May 26, 2022 | | 16 Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover Thank You for Doing Your Part! Katherine Ross, Waste Management Technician for the Region of Durham talks everything Waste. Send your waste related questions or comments to waste@durham.ca If you require this information in an accessible format, please call 1-800-667-5671 • durham.ca/waste A made-in-Durham solution: Turning waste into energy Durham Region is building a Mixed Waste Pre-sort (MWP) and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Facility that will convert organic waste into renewable natural gas as a source of energy and digestate (a compost-like product), into a beneficial agricultural fertilizer. The new facility will be located next to the Durham York Energy Centre (DYEC) in Clarington. The MWP component of the facility will remove materials--such as organics, metals, and non-combustibles--from garbage collected at the curb and from multi-residential buildings. This will not replace or eliminate the current Green Bin or Blue Box programs. Instead, the MWP will sort out organics and recyclables from the garbage bags that should have gone into the green bin or blue box. This will be particularly beneficial for residents of multi-residential buildings who currently do not have access to the Green Bin program. AD is a natural process that uses microbes found in the environment to break down waste in the absence of oxygen. This process naturally produces methane, which will be collected and cleaned for use as renewable natural gas (RNG); essentially converting organic materials, such as food scraps, into an energy source. There are many environmental benefits with a new Mixed Waste Pre-sort and Anaerobic Digestion Facility: More renewable energy The new facility is anticipated to generate approximately 4 million cubic metres of valuable renewable natural gas by capturing methane that would otherwise be released into the environment. Greenhouse gas reduction The renewable natural gas generated has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 7,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by the year 2025. This is the most significant reduction of GHG from the short-term initiatives currently proposed by the Region. Attraction of low-carbon industries The new facility will create a local opportunity within the Energy Park and Clarington to attract future clean-energy and low-carbon innovative industries. More diversion By sending Durham's garbage to the new facility first, to remove items that should not be in the garbage, less garbage will be sent to the DYEC. This will increase diversion rates and defer the need to expand the DYEC. Watch our video at durham.ca/ADProject to see how the Mixed Waste Pre-sort and Anaerobic Digestion Facility will work with Durham's waste management program. A new performance and open mic arts collaboration is brewing between Little West Indies, Bowmanville's West Indian grocery store and restaurant, and Oshawa artist Judith Shaw founder of BlackcocoBrown. The downtown business will host the Blend, an evening of poetry, spoken words, storytelling and music from a diverse range of artists from across Durham and beyond. "It's all about the arts, capturing the arts in Bowmanville. We call it the Blend because we're having so many different voices," said Shaw. The night will feature performances from: • Dancer, spoken-word poet, author Shakkoi (a.k.a. Need Some Koi) Hibbert, originally from Pickering. • Musical storyteller Heather Whaley from Bowmanville. • African folk tales storyteller Kesha Christie from Talkn Tales and "Walk Good." • Poet and children's book author Rawl Grant (a.k.a. Sir Rawl). • Poet Victor Fuke and more. The show will also have an open mic segment and local artists are invited to submit to perform. Organizers plan to create an inclusive program open to the artistic expression of people from all walks of life. "It's so important because in the story-telling world, the multiculturalism is very, very strong -- All these different stories, and voices and narratives," said Whaley, who is co-producing the event. The Blend will take place on Friday, June 3 at Little West Indies, 37 King St. E. Bowmanville. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. The bar and restaurant will be open. "We're giving Bowmanville an experience," said Little West Indies owner Roshein Shaw. "It's good because we'll get a lot of people who maybe didn't know about us." Tickets are available on Eventbrite (www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-blend-tickets-333291573067) for $11.62. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Bethesda House, Bowmanville's women's shelter. "I'm really excited to be a part of the open mic here. I think it's really about time to add some colour, culture and unity to Bowmanville, to show the rest of Ontario that there is vibrancy here," said Shakkoi. Shakkoi Hibbert, Heather Whaley and Judith Shaw are gearing up for a new performance and open mic collaboration to be hosted by The Little West Indies Store. Jason Liebregts/Metroland A NIGHT OF 'COLOUR, CULTURE AND UNITY' IN BOWMANVILLE THINGS TO DO JENNIFER O'MEARA jomeara@durhamregion.com SCAN THIS CODE to see more events.