Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Simple Suggestion #282 -- Use the Waste Wise app

As I mentioned a few posts back, Edmontonians are undertaking new ways to handle our waste this Spring in the form of a black cart for garbage, and a green cart for food scraps. But what about all those things that don't seem to fit in either cart? Like branches pruned from my backyard tree? Aluminum pie plates? Clothing?

There's an app for that! It's called the Waste Wise app and can be downloaded from your favourite app provider. Not only will it help you determine "What Goes Where" when it comes to waste and recyclables, but it also offers a "Waste Wizard" where you can input the name of an item that you're unsure about and it will give you suggestions about how to dispose of it. There's also a handy reminder feature so no one has to miss their garbage collection day, and there's a fun little waste sorting game for the kids where they send items to the proper waste disposal situation (Ecostation, Food Scraps or Garbage Bin or Blue Bag) and choose features for their own park. 

If apps are not your thing and you're not sure how to dispose of something, it's always worth checking the City of Edmonton Garbage and Recycling webpage. If you have things that are "gently used," the City's Reuse Directory can help find a home for them. There are also dozens of "Marketplace" or Buy Nothing pages, not to mention Kijiji... but I've gotten a bit off track here.

Waste is truly a waste of our earth's resources, and while it helps to know how to dispose of it, even better yet is not creating it in the first place if you can come up with lower-waste solutions, some of which can be found under the Simple Suggestions found here. And if you have any more Waste Wise suggestions, I'm all ears!

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