The City of North Bay is hoping residents will re-consider what goes in their garbage with a self-audit. Called ‘What’s in Your Waste?’, the program is all about the continued efforts to extend the life of the Merrick Landfill, north of the city. “Open up your garbage bags and see what’s in there. We have a list of items that you check off,” said Victoria Thomas, the city’s environmental control officer. “How many pieces are in your waste, such as banana peels, candy wrappers, textiles?” The city says far too often, recyclables and items meant for composting are thrown in the trash and end up in the landfill. A 2020 report on the landfill determined that it would close in 2036. “With all the positive waste diversion effort, residents have helped out with the new projected closure date for landfill is 2040,” said Thomas. “Even households that regularly recycle and compost may be surprised by what still ends up in the garbage.” Self-Audit encourages new habits During this two-month community self-audit program, residents will compare their results and receive waste diversion tips and resources, while at the same time get into the habit of not throwing everything straight into the garbage. “It’s not just about what do you do with this piece of waste. How do you make that waste not exist in the first place,” Thomas said. “It’s not just about recycling and composting. It’s really the steps before that. So, purchasing items with less packaging and perhaps using reusable napkins instead of paper towels.” While it’s not considered a competition, and there are no “good” or “bad” results, the city says every household is different and the goal is simply to better understand your own waste habits. “It’s an easy peasy way to do better by our poor planet,” said Harriet Madigan, the chairperson and founder of the environmental group Clean Green Beautiful North Bay. City aims to target future education The city says the audit will help it better understand where future education and outreach initiatives can have the greatest impact. “There’s no excuse for not recycling just about everything there is. For example, you can recycle single-use plastics, you can recycle all your garden pots. Even metal can be recycled,” Madigan said. Participants can also earn ballots toward a draw to win a Food Cycler Eco 5 by completing different stages of the program, including the entrance survey, waste audits, exit survey and optional photo submissions. Residents can learn more about the program and register by visiting NorthBay.ca.
