May you match one month’s price of rubbish right into a one-litre mason jar?
That’s the problem some Waterloo Area residents got down to conquer final month.
“I was really surprised that I filled mine up almost in a week,” mentioned Eva Bortolussi, a Zero Waste Problem participant.
Bortolussi can be a GreenTeam member at United Faculty on the College of Waterloo’s campus. Regardless of being conscious of her waste always, she discovered the problem to actually, be a problem.
That time was echoed by Mariam Haider, one other problem participant.
“When you’re out and about with classes, it’s hard to bring a reusable mug from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” mentioned Haider.
The Zero Waste Problem has been hosted by environmental charity Reep Inexperienced Options for the final eight years.
The objective is to make Waterloo Area residents extra conscious of their trash by getting them to suit their single-use waste right into a mason jar for seven, 14 or 30 days.
“This year we did something different,” mentioned Reep Inexperienced Options communications supervisor Swatil Mahmud. “We’re reaching more people in the community and also the youth because they’re very important. We’re going to leave the world for them.”
That’s why it made excellent sense for teams like GreenHouse, an incubator for social or environmental change at United Faculty, to be part of this for the complete 30 days.
“It really urges us to think about how we make decisions. When I look at what I put in my mason jar, most of the things I put in the mason jar was out of a matter of convenience. So whenever I needed to do something quick, I felt urgent, I felt in a rush, I created waste,” mentioned Lily Viggiano, GreenHouse senior venture supervisor.
Problem individuals maintain up their mason jar stuffed with one month’s price of trash. (/Spencer Turcotte)
Greater than 100 folks enroll yearly and it appears there are some well being advantages that come from it too.
“If you have an unhealthy potato chip habit or candy bars … you can visually see that ‘OK, these things are adding to the waste,’” mentioned Mahmud.
Bortolussi mentioned it additionally helped her with these habits.
“I was sharing my candy with my roommates,” she mentioned, chuckling.
So whereas all of the individuals are left with on the finish of the month is trash, they are going to actually treasure the teachings which have come from it.
