Introduction
The Region of Peel collects waste generated by 1.2 million residents who live in more than 385,000 households in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon. Collectively, these households produce more than 445,000 tonnes of waste per year. That’s an average of 371 kg (817 lbs.) of waste per resident each year.
What do we do with all of this waste?
We collect it, then either process it or dispose of it in an environmentally responsible manner. Sounds simple, but in fact there is a lot more to it. We need your help in identifying and sorting waste that is too good to be disposed of in landfill. Much of the waste we generate can be turned into new materials, nutrient-rich compost and energy to power our homes and facilities.
How do we do it?
It all starts with you. When you make the effort to separate your waste using our recycling programs and services, the process is underway. Each day, the Region of Peel collects blue box, green bin and yard waste material, processes the material and prepares it for market. The Region also collects garbage. Approximately half of the garbage we collect is turned into energy at an Energy-from-Waste facility in Brampton and the remainder is sent to landfill.
- Diverting waste from landfill
Waste diversion refers to the amount of waste that is not sent to landfill for final disposal. Each time your blue box, green bin and yard waste materials are recycled, we’re successfully reducing the need for landfill. Diverting waste also helps reduce your carbon footprint because recycling uses a lot less energy than producing items from raw materials. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured as carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases trap heat and contribute to the Earth's climate change.
MORE RECYCLING = LESS GARBAGE = INCREASED WASTE DIVERSION.
And this means less need for landfill.
Your efforts to sort and divert waste matter. Landfills are not a sustainable disposal solution for our waste. Sending our waste to landfill is more expensive than recycling and does not promote reduction and reuse
programs.
In fact, recycling not only reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill, but it conserves energy and decreases our use of natural resources. It’s a win-win situation for you and our environment. Plus, recyclable material is a commodity that is sold to companies who use the material to make new goods.
[ top ]
