When it comes to recycling, Jill Schroder knows that a little bit of effort can go a long way.
The West End resident heads up the recycling program at the Panorama Place apartments, where she and a dozen or so other volunteers have helped reduce the building’s garbage by more than 25 per cent, diverting tonnes of garbage from landfills. She’s hoping to help other residents in Vancouver do the same thing for their buildings.
“It saves the building money, but we’re just glad to keep it out of the landfill,” says Schroder.
The Panorama Place Green Team, as they call themselves, got its start 15 years ago when Schroder and other residents campaigned to convert the roof of the apartment’s parking garage into landscaped greenspace. While their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, it did start the conversation about they could make their building more “green.”
It started out simply enough, by providing a bin for residents to recycle beverage containers not included in the City of Vancouver’s recycling program.
Over time, the group has expanded the types of materials they can recycle.
In the past six months, the group has collected 30 98-litre bins of styrofoam, 30 bins of waxed cartons and beverage containers, 30 bins of soft plastics (including shopping bags and wrapping), four bins of hard plastics, 100s of batteries and light bulbs, as well as dozens of electrical appliances.
“We all take turns driving the bins to the depot when they are full,” Schroder says.
Of the 146 units in the building, currently three-quarters are taking part in the recycling program, and the building has been able to reduce garbage collection from four times a week to three.
As of May 19, the City expanded its blue box recycling program to include things like waxed cartons, Tetra Paks, and ice cream tubs, which Schroder says will make the team’s job easier.
This past November, the Green Team embarked on a food scraps recycling program, starting with a 25-unit six-week trial run, before opening up the program to the entire building. Metro Vancouver is banning all foodscraps from landfills and transfer stations by 2015, so the Green Team wanted to get a head start.
The program has been a huge success, collecting more than two tonnes of organic waste in the past six months. In terms of volume, it’s equal to four large dumpsters, says Schroder.
Since the food waste program started, compliance in other areas has increased, Schroder notes. The recycling room of the building has also become somewhat of a social hub.
Schroder and her group are hoping to spread the word and teach others to start similar programs in their buildings.
“My advice is start small with a committed group of people, and just do it,” she says.
For more about the recycling program, contact [email protected]
