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This week:
- Why environmentalists want us to stop dumping waste
- Climate action is reversing Australia’s election
- Buyers of e-bikes also deserve cash discounts, advocates say
Why environmentalists want us to stop dumping waste
(Shutterstock)
Spring cleaning season is here, but before you start asking if your household items sparkles of joysome conservationists want to ask if your clutter overeating only adds to the global waste problem.
“The reality is that most of the things we get rid of in Canada go to landfill,” said Myra Hurd, a professor at the Queen’s University School of Environmental Research in Kingston, Ont., And author of Canadian Waste Streams.
“Many people think that consuming is OK, as long as we” give away “what we no longer want.”
Numerous studies show mental health Benefits of organizing and simplifying your space, and the desire for purification is only there grown during the pandemicwhen staying at home has made many of us conform to our immediate environment.
But the problem is everything has to end somewhere – and often it’s the dump. In 2016, 347 kilotons of textiles were wrapped in landfills in Canada, according to 2020. National Waste Characteristics Report produced by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Thirty-one percent of the 10.2 million tonnes of waste generated by the housing sector is non-degradable, consisting mainly of plastics, building materials, metals, glass (including dishes), electronics and bulky items such as furniture and appliances.
People are much more likely to throw away household items such as old lamps and sofas than to try to recycle or donate them, according to 2021 study from Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Angus Reid.
We were conditioned to think of recycling as the only thing that could go in the blue box, like cans and newspapers, said Julia Deans, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. In addition, she adds, there is a problem with convenience.
“People think, ‘I don’t know where to take it,’ or ‘I’d rather take it out of my sight.'”
By donating Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore program, for example, Canadians diverted 43,000 tonnes of what would otherwise be waste last year, Deans said.
But even those who think they are finding a new home for their belongings may overestimate its value to someone else.
Clothes are an example of this assumption, Hird said, noting that used clothing stores are cluttered with donations and that most of them go to waste or are handed over to poorer countries, which are also cluttered with used ones. textiles.
Meanwhile, Goodwill stores in the United States have called for impatient clean-ups in 2021. stop donating your garbage.
So how can you clean your home without creating waste? First, see if you can reuse or reassign the items yourself. Shelves and chests of drawers can be repainted and reupholstered, old textiles can be turned into cleaning rags and some broken electronics can be repaired.
Also, don’t assume that what you’re exposing for recycling will actually be recycled, Hird said. In Canada, less than 10 percent of plastics which we use are recycled. “Recycling is not the answer. Reusing it is better.”
If you still just want the items to disappear, be intentional with your donations – don’t just leave them on the curb or in a charity bin. Post items to your local Buy Nothing group, participate in community distribution days, find someone in your area who collects used items for specific causes, such as Ukrainian refugees, and contact charities directly to see what they will take (some will even come to you).
Finally, stop cluttering up in the first place by buying less. Not only does it often go to landfill, but the packaging of the product is one of the worst offenders, as half of the three million tonnes of plastic waste Canada produces every year.
And don’t use cleaning as an excuse to buy more items, such as plastic trash cans and trays, to give your house a more spartan look.
“Clearing up may increase the burden on our landfills, but ironically it could lead to more purchases,” said Vancouver-based journalist JB McKinnon, author of The Day The World Stops Shopping.
“It can be a hollow gesture if it’s just another lifestyle trend or a ‘look.’ It probably won’t continue unless it involves major changes in values, such as the practice of voluntary simplicity. “
“Natalie Stechison.”
Reader feedback
Andrew Malet writes:
“I really understand the need for decarbonisation. But many of my family and friends in past discussions always find themselves in this unknown difficulty.
“I’ve been a truck driver for about 24 years and I remember a lot [northeastern] power outage in 2003. I remember being stuck in Bowmanville, Ont., waiting for a load from St. Mary’s Cement. To spend our time, we searched for food at the Fifth Wheel truck stop. They also had no power. I remember watching all the people blocked, without fuel. I also remember other truck drivers commenting on the huge power lines above the heads of the Pickering Power Plant that were humming. [even though] the source of the problem starts somewhere in the United States.
“Is our government forecasting the future needs for clean energy solutions in production and distribution and total capacity?” I mean, if everyone is going to charge cars and buy induction ovens and replace their home heating with electrical options, shouldn’t we think about that as well as improving our highways and transportation? “
Old issues of What the hell? are right here.
CBC News recently launched a special climate page that can be found here.
There is also a radio show and a podcast! With Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, soaring oil prices are forcing countries to rethink their energy supplies. This week, What On Earth looks back on the energy crisis of the 1970s for lessons. What, for God’s sake now airing Sunday at 11 a.m. ET, 11:30 a.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Subscribe to your favorite podcast app or listen to it on demand CBC Listen.
The big picture: Climate action is reversing Australia’s election
Historically, climate action has not won a strong vote, but it was decisive in last Saturday’s Australian election. The promotion of Anthony Olbanese, leader of the center-left Labor Party (second from the left in the photo below), to the country’s top post is widely seen as adjustment in the country’s climate policies – and gave hope to conservationists around the world.
As early as 2019, Liberal Party leader Scott Morrison became prime minister of a platform that has largely downplayed the burden of climate change and emphasized the financial and social costs of limiting fossil fuel production, especially coal and natural gas. Morrison was such a staunch defender of these industries that he once mocked his political rivals by bringing a piece of coal into parliament and he says to them, “Do not be afraid.” For the past three years, Morrison has made only soft gestures to reduce carbon emissions, becoming something like “climate steam” in the process. He attended the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, but only after a global pressure campaign.
Meanwhile, his years as prime minister coincided with some of the most extreme weather conditions in Australian history; It was Morrison harshly criticized for lack of leadership during the horrific fire season of 2020.
In the 2022 campaign, Australian voters decided that was enough. While Albanese’s party returned to power with a proactive message on the environment, analysts say it was the result of the Green Party and independent “nape”. – fiscally conservative candidates who support strong climate action – in the liberal strongholds that eventually sent Morrison’s party to pack. At the time of writing, the election commission was still counting the votes to determine whether Labor would have a majority in parliament – or whether it would have to rely on greens and “beers” for support.
(James D. Morgan / Getty Images)
Hot and anxious: Provocative ideas from across the web
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Addressing thousands of graduates at Seton Hall University in New Jersey this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly advised: forget about a career in the fossil fuel industry. “Don’t work for climate pests,” he said. “Use your talents to steer us towards a renewable future.”
- After years of decline, the number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico increased by 35% last season. Experts say it may be due to adapting to climate change.
Buyers of e-bikes also deserve cash discounts, advocates say
(Giacomo Panico / CBC)
Monetary rebate programs for electric cars, trucks and SUVs need to be expanded to include electronic bicycles, say advocates of sustainability and mobility.
E-bikes or electric bikes function like traditional bicycles, but are equipped with a battery-powered electric motor to provide a boost when pedaling.
Erin O’Neill, who lives in Ottawa and participates in the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), is scanning the market for an electrically assisted adult tricycle that can easily sell for $ 2,500 or more.
“Electronic bicycles make cycling easier, especially for people with disabilities,” O’Neill said. “But that’s just not something I can afford in ODSP.”
O’Neill adds that he has little patience with the opinion that the electronic bicycle is a luxury. For her, this is a means of independence.
“It’s not a toy,” she said. “I live in an urban area and this is something that can definitely help me move.”
While the federal government recently expanded its discount program for electric vehicles to include SUVs and pickups – offering buyers up to $ 5,000 for cars under $ 55,000 and trucks under $ 60,000 – electronic bikes and …
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