Kitchener neighbourhood association creates recycling hub

A Kitchener neighbourhood association is putting the focus on sustainability by collecting hard-to-recycle items through its own recycling hub.

The Eastwood Neighbourhood Association launched the program this year with blue bins placed at the entrance of Rockway Community Centre.

The bins collect items that would normally end up in the waste centre—oral hygiene products, disposable razors, Swiffer refills, and batteries.

“It is volunteer run, so I am the volunteer currently checking on the bins on a regular basis to make sure that the bins aren't over filled. Once they are full or half full, I empty the bins and collect them into a box,” said Connie Lum, the sustainability lead with the Eastwood Neighbourhood Association.

The box is then shipped off by courier to a private recycling company, TerraCycle.

Lum said she had wanted to use the service herself.

“But, as a single household, it would take a long time to fill a box up enough to make it feasible for shipping. When I heard about the neighbourhood association, it just gave the opportunity to fill the box up faster,” she said.

The program has expanded to three more community centres, including Downtown Centre, Mill Courtland, and Victoria Hills.

“It's amazing to see so many neighbourhoods and neighbours in the community supporting this. Collectively, we're helping to reduce landfill use,” Lum said.

The Eastwood Neighbourhood Association will host a webinar on October 12 to teach other neighbourhoods how to bring the program to their community.