Tamara Harbar
Going Green

Last week, I woke up one morning, saw sunshine and blue skies outside the window, and said, “What a perfect day to deliver mini-blue bins to apartment residents!”

Fortunately, I had an appointment to do just that. By 9:45 a.m., I was at the City of Stratford public works yard with two other women also looking forward to delivering mini-blue bins that day, Katie Alward, Stratford’s waste reduction coordinator, and Ulrike Klein, an environmental consultant with a London-based waste management consulting service, 2cg Inc.

We loaded a city pick-up truck with huge cartons of mini-blue bins, 25 to a carton, then piled into the truck ourselves. Ulrike checked a list of apartment buildings and told Katie where our first stop would be.  

Ulrike knew the territory well, since she’d already scoped out the apartment buildings to see which ones had recycling carts, which needed more carts, where they were located, whether they were labelled, and how well they were used, so any problems could be fixed.  

Katie parked the truck outside the first building and checked in with the superintendent. After we got the go-ahead, Ulrike and I each carried a carton of bins to the lobby and unpacked them.

Into each bin, only 35 cm by 26 cm (or 14 by 10.5 inches), we put a letter from Katie and a colourful brochure showing how cans, fibres, plastic containers, clear glass and coloured glass could all be recycled. Katie calls that five-stream collection.

We each grabbed a stack of bins and took a floor, placing a bin against the wall by every apartment door. Finding my way back to the stairwell was easy – I followed the trail of bins, like bright blue giant bread crumbs. The three of us met up in the lobby, then drove to the next building.

And that’s what we did all morning and afternoon, over and over again. By the end of the day, we’d delivered over 500 of those cute and cuddly containers. I had weary shoulders to prove it and Ulrike got sore knees from climbing stairs. Katie suffered the unkindest cut of all – a paper cut.

Most people we met in the lobbies and hallways were thrilled to finally get a blue bin, if they didn’t already have one. One superintendent watched our extra bins while we made our deliveries, afraid they’d be stolen. They’re in that high demand, we were told. I imagined someone in a dark alley opening their trench coat and whispering, “Psst, wanna buy a mini-blue bin – cheap?”

Another superintendent worried people would keep the bins in the hallways, but they’re just the right size for apartment kitchens or bathrooms.  

Some residents were a little suspicious until we told them the mini-bins would make great catch-alls and carry-alls for taking their recyclables down to the carts.

Best of all, they were free. The bins and brochures were paid for by Stewardship Ontario under the Continuous Improvement Fund. The city also provides the recycling carts for free – unlike London which charges for theirs – and picks up recyclables for free, too.

Katie even got a call afterwards from someone who said, “Thank you for paying attention to us!”

More blue bin tips next week.

Web Peek of the Week: www.blueboxmore.ca  – enjoy the cool scroll-over showing what happens to recycled cans, bottles, plastics, and paper.