Let's Talk Trash.

2.4 million pounds of our plastic ends up in our oceans each hour.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has 6 times more plastic than plankton.
Most of this pollution is plastic bottles, bags, cutlery, and straws.

So how does your trash end up in the ocean?
Sometimes, the garbage you place into a garbage can won’t end up in a landfill, but will get blown away onto the streets instead. When it rains, the wind and water carry this litter into storm drains, bringing the litter to nearby waterways. These rivers and lakes eventually reach the ocean, where marine life mistake plastic for food and die from choking, intestinal blockage, or starvation.

Take Action.

1. Avoid disposable plastics.
2. Request less packaging with purchases.
3. Make purchases in bulk.
4. Save packaging materials for reuse or storage.
5. Bring your own bag or box.

Check out more idea to reduce plastic waste here!

Let's Talk Trash.

In a lifetime, the average 150 lb. North American will leave a legacy of 90,000 pounds of trash.

Take Action.

REUSE and REPURPOSE!

1. Turn old rubber boots into plant pots.
2. Convert glass jars into hanging terrariums.
3. Make cushions from rice bags.
4. Wooden pallets can make great tables.
5. Create an ottoman from used tires.
6. Reconstruct gutters into vertical wall gardens.
7. Give old wooden ladders a second life as hanging pot racks!

Let's Talk Trash.

We throw away 4.5 million tons of office paper each year.
That’s enough to build a wall of paper 12 feet high from New York to Los Angeles!

Take Action.

Go digital! Paperless offices:
1. Save money & space.
2. Boost productivity.
3. Store & share information easier.
4. Keep personal information secure.
5. Reduce deforestation and water pollution.

Let's Talk Trash.

It takes 20,000 litres of water to make a single T-shirt and pair of jeans.
Meanwhile, each of us throws out 65 pounds of fabric a year.

Take Action.

Instead of throwing out that old shirt...

1. Style it into something new and trendy.
2. Craft it into something useful like a tote bag, rag rug, picnic blanket, or scarf.
3. Drop it off at a local charity, thrift store, or recycling depot.

Let's Talk Trash.

A third of our landfills are filled with construction waste. 
But most of that “waste” is reusable wood, cardboard, and drywall.

Take Action.

1. Donate excess materials to Habitat for Humanity ReStores.
2. Sell old appliances online or give them away.
3. Deconstruct don’t demolish! This way, parts of your home can have a second life!

Let's Talk Trash.

Special events or holidays at parks attract large crowds and can overwhelm the park's existing garbage bins. Overflowing bins mean that your trash may end up as litter and harm surrounding wildlife.

Take Action.

Host a Zero Waste picnic!

1. Pack your food and drinks in reusable containers.
2. Bring reusable dishes, cutlery, cloth napkins, and even use an old sheet for a picnic blanket.
3. To clean up, wrap all the dirty dishes and cutlery in the cloth napkins and pack them into the empty containers.

Let's Talk Trash.

Each year, we throw out 17 billion toilet paper tubes.
That’s 160 million pounds of cardboard.
End to end, it would make four trips to the moon!

Take Action.

1. Use reusable cloth or rags instead of paper towels.
2. Use one sheet less every time you use toilet paper or paper towels.
3. Purchase paper products that contain recycled material.
4. “SHAKE and FOLD” to use only one paper towel sheet for drying hands!

Let's Talk Trash.

We use 1 trillion plastic bags each year around the world.
That's over a million a minute!

Plastic bags can end up in our oceans through storm drainages where sea turtles mistake them for food. Thousands of turtles die every year from ingesting plastic bags.

Take Action.

1. Bring reusable bags for groceries and shopping.
2. Choose paper bags over plastic bags.
3. Reuse plastic bags to line your garbage bin.