Ban Recyclables from Standard Garbage Collection

We all need to do our part to help save the environment. However, the very least everyone can do is make sure they’re recycling. The City of Ottawa could help make this happen by adopting similar laws to the ones that are already in place in Vancouver, where it’s literally illegal not to recycle. There’s No Reason Not to Ban Recyclables from Standard Garbage Collection There’s no need to debate whether or not this type of ban would work or what its effects might be. Again, Vancouver already has it in place and it has already achieved incredible results. Vancouver’s Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan was created to reach 80% waste diversion by 2020. That might seem incredibly ambitious, but it turns out it’s also not unrealistic. In 2017, Vancouver already diverted 63% of all solid waste thanks, in large part, to increased recycling. Because of this increase, Metro Vancouver saved an astounding 732,000 tonnes of concrete from ending up in a landfill. Another 437,000 tonnes of yard and food waste was recycled, along with 322,600 tonnes of fibre, 241,000 tonnes of wood, and 165,000 tonnes of asphalt. That’s almost 2 million tonnes of waste just from those recycled materials alone. It’s Time for the City of Ottawa to Catch Up As Ottawans, we have a proud tradition of respecting our natural surroundings. From the Ottawa River to the Greenbelt, ours is a city whose citizens are constantly reminded that we’re responsible for safeguarding the environment. We need our city officials to join us in this commitment. Enact similar bans to the ones in Vancouver that have already done so much for the environment so we can continue to protect Ottawa for generations to come.