www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 29, 2008 - 15 Your Halton Connection March `08 www.halton.ca More Blue and Green for a Better Planet by Regional Chair Gary Carr Did You Know? bulbs, paint, chlorine, pesticides and motor oil can harm the environment if disposed of incorrectly. Bring these materials to the Household Hazardous Waste Depot located at the Halton Waste Management Site. Household hazardous waste will be recycled, charge (20 L limit). · Blue Box materials are taken to Halton Recycling Limited where machinery sorts all the different items and groups them together into giant bales. Recyclers buy these bales to make new materials: plastic pop bottles get turned into polyester and paper gets made into new paper. · GreenCart materials will be taken to the Hamilton Central Composting Facility where the materials are put in large indoor compartments. Over two months, all the materials will break down into a useful compost product that is sold in stores. This compost product is a high quality, natural fertilizer. · Yard waste is taken to the Halton Waste Management Site's composting pad. The materials are put in large piles. Over six months they break down into a useful compost product that is sold in stores and given away at the Region's Spring and Fall Compost Give Away events. Starting April 7, 2008, your regular waste collection programs will be changing. These changes are being made to increase the opportunities for you to recycle and compost and to reduce the amount of garbage being sent to our landfill. By reducing our waste and reusing and recycling products when possible, we all have the opportunity to play an important part in protecting our environment. These changes will include: · Weekly collection of GreenCart (collects kitchen scraps and compostable papers) · Weekly collection of Blue Box (papers and containers can go in the same Blue Box) · Collection of garbage every other week with a six bag/can limit · Yard waste collection remains the same with every other week collection, on the same day as garbage (urban areas only) · Bulk collection once every four weeks with a three item limit, on the same day as garbage (all urban areas and rural Burlington and Milton); seven collection dates per household in 2008 · Metal and Appliance Call-in Service (all urban areas and rural Burlington and Milton) The GreenCart The GreenCart will collect kitchen food waste and compostable paper creating valuable compost material that can be used in landscaping, agriculture and restoration projects. Currently, 45% of the average garbage bag in Halton contains leftover food and compostable paper that can be turned into compost and be diverted from our landfill site. By using your Blue Box and GreenCart for recycling, your garbage should decrease significantly. For a complete listing of acceptable GreenCart items visit www.halton.ca/ greencart. GreenCart Delivery GreenCarts and Kitchen Catchers will be delivered from March 24 to April 5 to all households that currently receive curbside waste collection. An information kit and a sample of an acceptable bag liner will also be included. There will be three open houses in each Local Municipality for residents to learn more about the GreenCart and the Region's new waste management programs. Check your local newspaper or visit www.halton.ca for specific times and locations. Collection Trucks Starting April 7, 2008, you will see distinctive yellow and brown collection vehicles on the road as Miller Waste Systems begins as the new collection contractor of residential waste in Halton Region. Blue Box and GreenCart material will be collected together in one truck that is split into two compartments by a metal wall. Collected material will be taken to a transfer station in the Region where the Blue Box material will be sent to a recycling facility and the GreenCart material will be sent to a composting facility. Want to learn more? Halton's waste management programs and services including upcoming collection changes, visit www.halton.ca/waste, or call Halton Region. Why are these changes important? The new waste collection changes will help protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions improving air quality, and create useful recycling and compost products conserving natural resources. With these changes, Halton Region is also working to extend the life of the landfill site by aiming to divert 60 per cent of residential waste away from the landfill, an increase of 17 per cent from the current rate of 43 per cent. March Meetings at Halton Region Headquarters March 18, 9:30 a.m. March 19, 9:30 a.m. March 19, 1:30 p.m. March 26, 9:30 a.m. Health & Social Services Cte Administration & Finance Cte Planning & Public Works Cte Regional Council Meeting We welcome your feedback. Contact Access Halton at accesshalton@halton.ca 905-825-6000 · Toll free: 1-866-442-5866 · TTY: 905-827-9833 · www.halton.ca The Regional Municipality of Halton · 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 This page has been donated by this newspaper to communicate important information to Halton residents at no cost to taxpayers.