Eyeing Rural Alberta for Waste Reduction Week

You’re in town, enticed by the aroma of your favourite coffee joint, but you’ve forgotten your favourite reusable mug. Do you get a java to-go anyway?

It’s the middle of winter and you’ve just finished unloading your last grain bag. What do you do with the plastic?

Every year, during the third week of October, Canadian non-profits, non-governmental organizations and governments collaborate to empower Canadians to reduce, reuse and recycle. The country-wide collaboration began in 2001, though Recycling and Waste Reduction Weeks were initiated by provinces and groups since the mid 1980s.

This year, the Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA) is using the week to bring awareness to reusable mugs, among other initiatives. We spoke to Christina Seidel, executive director of the RCA, in an interview addressing rural concerns. In it, Seidel alludes to the Bring Your Own Cup Competition, a competition which will take place this week to determine which Alberta office or business wastes the least number of disposable mugs. Seidel also fields questions about the RCA, how far we are from recycling agricultural plastics in Alberta, why rural communities have so few options for recycling and how individuals can help improve the state of waste in Alberta.

You can find the Recycling Council of Alberta on Facebook and Twitter, with The RCA’s Coffee Cup Campaign also on Facebook.

If you can’t see the embedded audio interview, find it on Soundcloud.

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