MMSB guiding our province to a greener future

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Waste Reduction Week

Waste Reduction Week in Canada is a time to educate Canadians about environmental issues across the nation. Every year during the third week of October MMSB partners with Waste Reduction Week Canada to raise awareness and encourage individuals, schools, and communities to take responsibility for our wasteful actions that affect the environment. MMSB aims to inspire Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to rethink their habits and focus on developing new waste reduction habits.

Waste Reduction Week 2010 was an exciting week in Newfoundland and Labrador. MMSB launched Hit the Spot, an online marketing campaign, asking Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to choose their favourite "spot" in the province, tag it on the map and explain why it's important to protect this place by reducing waste. Individuals from all over the province (and across Canada) hit their spot and helped to raise awareness about waste reduction in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Throughout the week MMSB Waste Reduction Experts visited schools in the St. John's region and the Deer Lake region and delivered Get to Half at School presentations to students, from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Partnering with Waste Reduction Week in Canada and Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), MMSB launched the Recycle My Cell School Challenge. The challenge was open to all grade schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and ran from October 20 until November 30, 2010. All schools were provided with a cell phone drop-box and challenged to collect as many cell phones as possible. Top performing schools in each of the four regions of the province were rewarded $1000 to be used toward school environmental initiatives.

MMSB's Recycle My Cell School Challenge is now closed, however, schools or businesses interested in hosting a permanent Recycle My Cell depot can do so by registering at www.recyclemycell.ca.