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21 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, April 14, 2011 The Regional Municipality of Halton Blue Box www.halton.ca GreenCart No Plastic! Empty your produce bags and containers When cleaning out your fridge, please remember to empty food from plastic produce bags, plastic shopping bags, plastic wrap and baggies, and plastic "clamshell" containers. The plastic material goes in the garbage, and the old or leftover food goes in the GreenCart. What plastic materials are accepted? Plastic bottles 1 2 Plastic tubs and lids 5 The only plastic materials Halton Region accepts in its Blue Box are plastic bottles PET 1, plastic bottles HDPE 2, and plastic tubs and lids PP 5. Other plastic materials like Styrofoam, black and clear take-out containers, clear plastic "clamshells," plastic cups, plastic plant pots, plastic lunch/snack packs and plastic bags are not accepted in the Blue Box. Please do not place unacceptable plastic materials in the Blue Box, as they must be removed at the sorting facility and are sent to the landÍll, which increases processing costs. Instead, place them in the garbage. Regular plastic bags do not compost. By excluding regular plastic bags from the GreenCart program, Halton Region provides the composting facility with a clean material, resulting in a high Ouality Ínal compost product. By placing acceptable materials in the GreenCart, you help protect the environment, extend the life of the landÍll, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air Ouality, for a better planet. If you are unsure whether a plastic item is acceptable in the Blue Box, visit www.halton.ca/waste and use our "Put Waste In Its Place" online tool--enter an item and it will tell you how to reuse, recycle or dispose of it properly. Tips Blue Box materials remain the responsibility of the homeowner until the materials are collected. Help reduce litter by following these tips to keep your neighbourhood clean: Tips Wash your Kitchen Catcher with mild detergent as required. The Kitchen Catcher is also dishwasher safe. To clean your GreenCart take a bucket of hot water with mild soap, pour into the GreenCart, swish and empty the water in your garden or lawn. Try to keep water away from sidewalks and walkways. After cleaning, ensure the GreenCart is dry before placing material inside. Avoid insects and other pests by sprinkling a handful of salt, garden lime, baking soda or powdered ginger in the GreenCart or Kitchen Catcher. Wrap meat and bones in paper and add additional layers of paper to the GreenCart each time you empty your Kitchen Catcher. To determine whether paper products are compostable and can go into the GreenCart-- give them a rip. 'f the paper product is difÍcult to rip, or if there is visible plastic or metallic lining, it cannot go in the GreenCart. 'f you choose to line your GreenCart, you can use newspapers, Îyers, cardboard boxes, paper yard waste bags, paper food waste bags, and certiÍed compostable liners with the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) logo: Squish It! Squish your aluminum pop cans, plastic pop and water bottles, beverage cartons and Tetra Paks. Not only will squishing save space in your Blue Box for more items, but it will help collection because space will be used effectively inside the truck. Flatten It! By Îattening boxboard, you help prevent litter, save space in your Blue Box for more materials, and save space inside the collection truck. Tie It! Tie corrugated cardboard in bundles no larger than 90 cm x 90 cm x 30 cm (3 ft x 3 ft x 1 ft) and place beside your Blue Box. Not only will tying corrugated cardboard prevent litter, but it will help speed up collection because collectors can more easily pick up the tied cardboard. Stack It! Stack your Blue Boxes and place heavier items such as phone books and magazines on top of loose containers. Halton Region does not accept plastic products or plastic liners in the GreenCart. GreenCarts lined with unacceptable bags will not be collected. Halton Region questions Federal election candidates on important issues As the May 2 Federal election approaches, voters are encouraged to Índ out their candidatesh positions on issues that are important to Halton residents and critical to Haltonhs future. The Province requires Haltonhs population to double to 0,000 by 2031, requiring . billion for hospitals, child care, emergency services, roads and other infrastructure. Municipal infrastructure funding needs to be a priority with the Federal government if we are to maintain the current quality of life in Halton. Halton Region has forwarded a number of questions to the local candidates to Índ out how they would support Halton. I encourage voters to check out the responses that will be posted on our website (www.halton.ca/2011election) on April 20. Halton Regional Meeting Schedule April 20, 9:30 a.m. Regional Council Meeting April 22 Offices closed for Good Friday Gary Carr Regional Chair Meetings can be viewed at www.halton.ca 140311 Please let us know as soon as possible if you will have an accessibility or accommodation need at a Halton Region hosted event or meeting. 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario *M 3*1 k Dial 311 or 905-25-000 k Toll Free 1--2-5 k TT7 905-2-933 k www.halton.ca