Friday, January 29, 2016

How To Recycle Properly In Kawartha Lakes



I have been known to be a bit of a recycling tyrant- “Hey did you just throw that in the garbage?”


*takes can out and put’s in recycle while muttering under breath*


Well I guess I should not have been such a tyrant because as it turns out- I was doing it all wrong- and not just the heckling.
When I first moved back here and actually gave a darn about my effects on the health of the planet I was pleasantly surprised to see the Kawartha Lakes recycled all plastics from 1 through 7- something my previous municipality did not do.

Sweet I can recycle everything! 

I put on my hero shirt and felt really good about doing my part and I recycled as much as possible. I got so into recycling I went to the city’s waste workshop, and that is the day I realized I had been dishonouring my hero shirt.

(insert price is right losing sound)

As it turns out not everything is recyclable, infact if it is not on the list of recyclables on our handy dandy waste calendar provided by the CKL- it is not recyclable, even though we recycle all numbers of plastics, if it does not have a number on it- it is not recyclable. If it is not clean it is not recyclable, and if the lid is still on it is not recyclable!

In the City of Kawartha Lakes our plastic recycling is trucked to North Umberland County to a sorting plant, and everything that is rejected is shipped back to a landfill.

So if I'm not recycling properly I'm actually creating more garbage and more CO2!

Here are a few things I thought were recyclable but are not



Blue Bin Don't
plastic containers without numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 
toothpaste tubes 
chip bags 
fast food cold drink cups (goes in green bin)
cheese wrapping 
cereal bags
  straws 
 plastic cutlery 
Keurig single serving cups 
 dog food bags 
bubble wrap 
motor oil or anti freeze jugs 
packing peanuts 
Light bulbs • mirrors • dish or window glass •metal pots/pans • coat hangers • vhs tapes • tarps • solar pool covers • toys or other large plastic items that do not fit in box •  styrofoam insulation 



Green Bin Don't
Receipts 
flour bag/dog food bag
paper towel/ facial tissue 
shipping envelopes with bubble liner 
polaroid’s 
biodegradable paper products 
peat pots 
clementine boxes 
fibre contaminated with motor oil or pet waste 
metallic wrapping paper


Orange Box Don't
unknown materials • leaking or open containers

• fireworks • flares • ammunition • explosives


Blue Bin Do
Glass jars • milk/juice polycoat containers • tetra packs • fibre coffee cups and fibre ice cream containers • cans • pie plates • take out containers • foil baking pans • aluminum foil • plastic bags (sandwich, grocery, frozen food, milk, dry cleaning) • clean plastic wrap • empty aerosol cans • empty paint cans • plastic containers with 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 on them • plant and flower pots • large plastic pails(up to 5g) • plant trays and cells • foam (cups, plates, take out containers, food trays, egg cartons)


Green Bin Do
Newspapers • insert flyers • photographs • catalogues • magazines • phone books • mail • writing paper • envelopes (including window envelopes) • brown paper bags • fibre egg cartons • toilet/paper towel rolls • non-metallic wrapping paper • greeting cards • gift bags (rope, metal handles or other decals removed) • boxboard (cereal, cracker, detergent, drug, shoe, gift and tissue boxes) • cardboard • clean pizza boxes • soft cover books • telephone books


Orange Box Do
paint • solvents • batteries • pressurized cylinders • fertilizers and pesticides • anti freeze coolant • empty oil containers • oil filters • cleaners • shampoos • soaps • detergents • fire detectors • automotive products • swimming pool chemicals • fire extinguishers • photography chemicals • liquid glues • metal halide lamps • thermometers • thermostats • ultraviolet lamps • fluorescent tubes and bulbs (CFLs) • flea/tick products • rat poison • wood preservatives • hair dye • hairspray • hydrogen peroxide • jewellery cleaner • nail polish and remover • perm lotion or solution • rubbing alcohol • lighter fluid





Kawartha Lakes Waste Information
Containers must be rinsed and free of residue to recycle
Remove caps and lids
Recycling in clear bags will not be collected

Cardboard needs to be broken down into manageable sized pieces
2 bag weekly limit (40lbs max per bag)
No limit on recyclables




Other Facts
Tires, hazardous waste, leaf and yard waste, scrap metal, and E Waste are free to dispose of at the landfill
Anything 50% or more metal is considered scrap metal
Staples accepts empty print cartridges


Terra Cycle recycles cigarette butts




Have you been 'wishcycling'?




Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor

Friday, January 22, 2016

3 Ways We Are Donating All Wrong



What do you mean nobody wants my 30 year old toaster??




If you are de cluttering after Christmas chances are you are taking a trip to your favourite local thrift shop to donate some pre loved goodies, but are you helping them? 

Here is two pet peeves from staff at my favourite thrift shop, the Salvation Army in Fenelon Falls.


Thrift Store Rejects

If you wouldn't buy it, they cant sell it. If your like me you hate to send anything to the dump, but if your sending trash to the donation box, they have to pay for it to be sent to the dump, so please only send resealable items to the donation bin. Textiles are the exception here, tired old clothes and linens can be bailed and sold in bulk to be recycled. Put all unworthy textiles in a separate bag and mark it as rags.

Hoarding Stuff From The Seventies

Another complaint from Rachel, the manager, is that people hold onto things for too long. Sure outdated thing sometimes come back into popularity but her wish is that people would share so things have a better chance of having a second life with a new owner. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not used or worn it in the past year, time to get rid of it.

Sneaky Midnight Drop Off's

This one is my pet peeve. The last time I visited the Salvation Army it was pouring rain and their was an employee picking up a bag of soaking wet clothing someone had left behind during off hours, otherwise known as hours they do not accept donations. Do you think they took the time to dry this stuff out to save it for resale- probably not, it probably went to dumpster along with that 30 year old toaster. If your in a jam and have to get rid of stuff off hours search out a donation box- conveniently located in at least one parking lot somewhere in your town. To find a location click here.


Now go get your donate on- properly:)


Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor
@soGREENithurts
on Facebook





Friday, January 8, 2016

Toxic People Are Bad For Your Environment




Community, connectedness, and compassion
are all important parts of a 'green' lifestyle.








I had an enlightening moment last year- I discovered that people can be toxic.





Someone who has nothing nice to say about anything, including their best friends and people they love. They attract all sorts of bad interactions, bad friendships, and dramatic feuds. They make you feel drained, think bad things about yourself, and can even spread their toxicity to you.

When I realized there was this type of person it was a huge weight off of my shoulders because I realized that I could have this happy life where I didn't feel criticised, where I was surrounded by people who loved and supported me and didn't say or even think bad things about me- once I cut out the toxic people in my life, or at least limited my time with them, and understood they were that way.



This was also a sad process for me. Not only did I realize I have some of these toxic traits, and I have failed interactions and friendships in the past (I can think of a time when I stood in front of a whole group of people talking shit about someone, yup a real dick move) but also how much of it is out there, and being a quasi compassionate person naturally; trying to let go of these people makes me feel sad- I don't want to hurt them. Also now that I'm aware I'm really sensitive to it- I notice it right away in people and I can see how unattractive it is to be a negative Nelly. 



Since I realized this I have been able to curb my own negative thought patterns- check out my blog




Find out if you are toxic and how to improve HERE



I'm not saying it is easy to let go of negative thought patterns or that all of a sudden I'm a perfect person- I have still failed friendships and interactions with people since I realized this, but the more I become aware of mine and other people's thought process the more I can work on being a better person and having better relationships with people. I also want to say that you should not give up on toxic people all together, after all they are hurt too and maybe you can spread some positivity into their lives.

I'm sharing this personal story because I want the people in my life (including the readers of this blog) to feel supported and loved, free from judgements- and if I'm toxic, or spending time with toxic people I cannot offer that to people, nor will I get it back. 

Compassion and respect for different values is something we have lost touch with- we instead focus on success, having more money, having more stuff- but does having all of that really enhance our lives? Nope- having meaningful relationships with people does.




There is always time to work on being a better person.



Thanks for reading my blog-
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Julia Taylor
@soGREENithurts
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