MARCH 12, 2020 – REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #1

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

When shopping anywhere, consider using re-usable bags instead of plastic. Great Britain’s Royal Statistical Society estimates that 90.5% of all plastic ever created has never been recycled!!!

March 19, 2020 – REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #2

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Use re-usable water bottles instead of buying plastic ones. Scientist believe that 8.8 millions tons of plastic end up in the oceans each and every year (National Geographic)

March 26, 2020 – REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #3

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

If everyone in Canada reduce their weekly garbage by 1 lb per week, that is the equivalent of removing 18,000 tons of garbage from landfills!! In Niagara-on-the-Lake that equates to 9 tons per week removed from landfills. In Niagara, 50% of our garbage is compostable. Think about it!

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #4

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

When offered a plastic straw or stir stick, just say No thanks! 57 millions straws are sold in Canada each day. Most end up in landfills where they will stay forever. Approximately 20,000 are used in Niagara-on-the-Lake every day. Most end in the landfill!

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #5

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Combine all your plastic bags and wraps into one single bag and tied them up. Put the the tied bag in the grey bin on top of your paper products. Don’t recycle them loosely. They clog up equipment and slow down the recycling process!! 

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #6

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Use hard plastic containers for your garbage instead of plastic bags. Dark plastics bags are not recyclable and always end up in the landfill. Do the same in your kitchen for food storage instead of plastic bags.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #7

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Make use of your green bin to compost. It’s easy and the compost can be reused to improve soil. Paper towels, tea bags, coffee ground, pet waste in compostable bags, brown cardboard,  paper bags, egg cartons (all customer small) food products including fish, meat, cake, vegetables, fruit peels…all are compostable.  SEE https://niagararegion.ca/waste/disposal/default.aspx?c=green+bin

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #8

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Eliminate single use plastic water bottles from your lives. ONE MILLION plastic bottles are bought EVERY MINUTE around the world — and that number will top half a TRILLION by 2021. Less than half of those bottles end up getting recycled. In Ontario less than a third are recycled. 8 MILLION METRIC TONS of plastic winds up in our oceans each year. (Earth day.org)

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip #9

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Be a selective consumer. Choose products that come with less plastic packaging, even if they're a little bit more expensive or a little less convenient.  If you do have to use single-use plastic, make sure it makes it into the blue recycling bin.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 10

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Reduce your home energy consumption by following these simple tips.Turn off unused lights or add dimmers. Turn down your hot water heater from standard 140 degrees to a more reasonable 120 degrees. Take shorter showers. Use cold water for washes. Most new soaps work better with cold water and your clothes will come out just as clean. 

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 11

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Buy a re-usable water bottle and/or insulated mug. Fill your water before leaving home and refill at public water stations such as the community centre or Zoom Bikes and other local places. All coffee shops will refill your insulated mugs. Keep the re-usable bottle and insulated mug in your vehicles at all times. No more single use coffee cups and no more plastic water bottles.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 12

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Reduce electricity costs by cleaning the coils on the back of your refrigerator; change incandescent bulbs to CFLs or LEDs; plug small appliances in a smart power strip that can be turned off; turn off computers, TV’s, VCRs, PVRs…all use passive power that is wasted.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 13

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Save on your water bill by using these simple tips! Turn water off while brushing your teeth; fix leaky faucets and toilets (that one can really add up); shorten your showers; use low flow faucet nozzles and cover your pool to reduce evaporation!

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 14

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Save on electricity!! Use a pressure cooker, microwave or toaster oven when possible. Buy energy efficient appliances. Reduce your heat. Put your air conditioner up a couple of degrees. Hang up clothes instead of your clothes dryer where possible. When using your clothes dryer do it during low peak hours usually 7pm to 7am daily and all weekend!! It all adds up. 

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 15

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Modern household cleaning products are expensive, and often damaging to the environment, so a great green alternative is to make some yourself. Safe and environmentally-friendly substitutes use ingredients such as baking soda, soap flakes, lemon, cornstarch and vinegar. It’s quick to find recipes for them on the internet; try https://learn.eartheasy.com for a helping hand.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 16

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Freecycle is an internet-based service and community that allows users to share and discover reusable items. Before making a purchase, check out your local Freecycle community to see if you can find the item free of charge, and if you have unwanted goods in your house, use the service to recycle them. It’s easy to use and helps both your local community and the wider environment.     https://my.freecycle.org/

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 17

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Whenever possible, avoid driving in a car. Local journeys can be made by walking or cycling, and always look for public transport routes when travelling further. If you have to travel by car, investigate the possibilities for carpooling with friends and neighbours, sharing journeys for work and leisure, thus reducing the number of cars on the roads. Many busy offices actively promote such schemes so ask around to see if you can take advantage of this. 

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 18

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

When planning a holiday you should consider green alternatives, or consider a “staycation” by enjoying a local holiday, thus reducing the environmental impact of vacationing, and benefiting/engaging with your local community, ecology, and economy. Green Loons is a great place to start; they offer some amazing destinations with the feel-good Green factor. https://greenloons.com/

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 19

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Simplify: Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keep belongings that you use/enjoy on a regular basis. By making the effort to reduce what you own, you will naturally purchase less/create less waste in the future.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 20

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Replace Disposables: Wherever possible, replace disposable products with reusable ones (i.e., razor, food storage, batteries, ink cartridges (buy refill ink), coffee filters, furnace or air conditioner filters, etc.).

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 21

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Bulk Purchases: Avoid products that are packaged for single use (i.e., drinks, school lunches, candy, cat and dog food, salad mixings, etc.). Instead, buy in bulk and transfer the products to your own reusable containers.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 22

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Refuse Give Aways: When a business or individual offers you a free give away that you don't need, politely refuse. This can be anything from a straw in a restaurant to promotional gifts to paper handouts. This not only saves the company or individual money, but it keeps resources from being consumed unnecessarily (even if it is recyclable).

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 23

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Reducing Food Waste: If food waste was a country, it would be the world’s 3rd largest emitter of CO2- roughly 1/3 of food produced every year gets lost or wasted. By simply making a list with weekly meals in mind, you can save money and time and eat healthier food. If you buy no more than what you expect to use, you will be more likely to keep it fresh and use it all.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 24

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Help Launch Sustainable Packaging!: As a customer, you have enormous power to help launch the sustainable packaging movement (https://sustainablepackaging.org) . Many companies are now exploring ways to maximize nontoxic recyclable and compostable packaging content. Get involved today!

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 25

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Green Paper: In general, try to buy products/containers made from recycled material as often as possible to support the recycled product market. When purchasing paper products, look for paper that has been recycled using a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 26

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Avoid Single Use Products: Instead, choose (or bring) reusable products or consider doing without. Avoiding plastic single use items is especially important because of their toxic load and, if landfilled, exceptionally long life. These can include food and beverage containers, cups, plates, straws, writing pens, razors, diapers, towels, shopping bags, etc.

REDUCE! RE-USE! RECYCLE! Tip 27

LAKE REPORT’S – GO GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK!!

Buy Local: Buy food (and drink – ideally tap – water) from local companies whenever possible. Each pound of local food you purchase prevents a quarter pound of climate change (C02) emissions. Support your area's Farmer's Market. If possible, grow your own fruits and vegetables using organic gardening practices.