Weekly Link Roundup, October 10, 2016

Weekly Link Roundup – October 10, 2016

October 10, 2016
Link Roundups

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you’re not busy preparing for a hearty Thanksgiving dinner (as a guest or a host), here are this week’s links to keep you busy before you are. We’ve even thrown in a couple of Thanksgiving themed links in the spirit of the holiday.

  • 8 Easy Green Thanksgiving Tips
    • Our favourite quote from the article, for no other reason than the fact that we’re already feeling sleepy just thinking about dinner: “Before you rush to eat yourself into a Tryptophan-induced coma, take a minute to think about where your food comes from.”
  • How to Go Green: Thanksgiving Day
    • Definitely one of the most thorough posts on Thanksgiving eco-friendliness we’ve seen! Lots of helpful information here, including some cool facts about turkeys!
  • Best Before Dates & Expiry Dates: 5 Things You May Not Know
    • Did you know that the yolk of an egg past its best before date may be more likely to break? More importantly, there’s probably nothing wrong with it, as long as it’s not cracked. Before you throw out those eggs that were best before yesterday, read this article and start reducing your food waste.
  • The Big Sort: An Insider’s Tour of a Recycling Plant
    • Ever wonder how that jumble of recyclable waste in your blue bin actually gets sorted? Here’s a cool video showing what happens to the contents of your blue box after they’re collected from your curb.
  • Red Propeller
    • Do you know what a VHS tape is? If you do, chances are you probably have a collection of them lurking behind a pile of junk in  your basement–right beside the picture of you sporting a fantastic mullet. Like your mullet, their time has passed. Convert their contents to DVD or Blu-ray and recycle them with this company. Amazingly, they also accept children’s used car seats for recycling so you don’t have to throw them in the garbage!

Hope you all have a great holiday everyone! Remember to follow us on Facebook or Twitter for regular updates, tips and news.

How to Identify & Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste

How to Identify and Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste

October 6, 2016
Waste Disposal

There are a dizzying number of materials in the average home that are considered household hazardous waste. These materials can be dangerous to us or the environment when not stored or disposed of properly and include risks from fire, chemical reactions, explosions or poisoning.

Some of this waste may only be dangerous in large quantities but it’s still considered hazardous regardless of the amount. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) defines what is considered to be hazardous waste here.

It’s reassuring to know that the programs for recycling and safe disposal of these materials are more accessible and better than ever before. Toronto’s Community Environment Days, for example, succeeded in collecting roughly 340,000 kg of household hazardous waste in 2015 alone, and are definitely a step in the right direction. 

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Weekly Link Roundup 10.3.16

Weekly Link Roundup – October 3rd, 2016

October 3, 2016
Link Roundups

Those of you who follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus know we post regular updates about interesting links and news we find on the internet.

We realize that while everyone may not have time for social media, everyone does have time to read our amazing blog right?

So, starting this week, we’ve decided to post a weekly roundup of some of the links we’ve posted to social media, as well as other cool stuff we’ve found.

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37 Ways to Reuse Junk and Reduce Your Need For Waste Disposal

37 Ways to Reuse Junk and Reduce Your Need For Waste Disposal

September 29, 2016
Recycling, Waste Disposal

As Canadians, most of us like to believe we’re doing enough for the environment with our weekly curbside recycling and composting efforts. The surprising truth is that we’re still actually producing an excessive amount of garbage that results in an inflated need for waste disposal.

In 2009, Canadians produced more garbage per capita than any other country on earth. And in 2014, our homes alone produced almost 10 tonnes of garbage, more than we ever have before.

Clearly, we need to look at other strategies besides recycling and composting to help curb the need for waste disposal. The easiest way to reduce the amount of garbage we produce is through the reuse and re-purposing of old, used items. All you need is a little creativity and inspiration.

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Garage Organization

21 Amazing Ideas For Great Garage Organization

September 22, 2016
, Organization

Did you know that it was National Clean Out Your Garage Day on September 10? We missed it because we didn’t either! If we had known, we would have absolutely, positively spent the day working on garage organization—or at least thought about it anyway.

Admittedly, the fact that the day was created by a company specializing in garage organization products (The LeHigh Group) kind of makes you wonder whether it was created just for marketing purposes. However, considering that 25% of people with 2 car garages don’t have room to park cars inside of them (U.S. Department of Energy), it’s likely that The Lehigh Group was on to something.

It’s a perfect time to reclaim your garage so your vehicle can be warm and cozy and proud to park there again.

Like the basement, your garage usually ends up becoming a dumping ground for all the junk that you can’t find space for anywhere else. Seasonal items like holiday decorations, sporting equipment and boxes full of 2 generations worth of sentimental clutter have probably found their home there, making the thought of garage organization seem worse than a trip to the dentist.

With winter around the corner and cooler outdoor temperatures to work in, it’s a perfect time to reclaim your garage so your vehicle can be warm and cozy and proud to park there again.

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How to Clean Your Garbage Can

How to Clean Your Garbage Can

September 15, 2016
Cleaning

It’s been an amazing summer here in Toronto hasn’t it? We’ve had more than our fair share of hot, humid days with very little rain. We hope you all have had the chance to enjoy enough backyard barbecues and lazy hazy Sunday afternoons on the patio. Our staff here at City Waste Services certainly have.

Unfortunately, the hot, humid Toronto summer has also left a trail of foul smelling green bins and garbage cans in its wake. All those wonderful barbecues with leftover food scraps and sticky, dripping marinades have found their way onto the sides of everyone’s trash containers at home.

At best, we’ve got garages full of the oh-so-wonderful summer scents of rotting garbage, and at worst, we’re cringing at the uninvited guests we find in our green bins when we open their lids. Some of us have even been seen running out of our garages halfway down our streets (no joke), but that’s probably a topic for another article and another blog.

If you’re using bleach, do NOT add any other detergent, cleaners or even vinegar into the water / bleach solution. You’ll create toxic fumes that are very dangerous.

Our trash containers at home have been so dirty that you wouldn’t want to touch them with a ten foot pole (like the junk in your basement that you need our garbage bin rentals for)! We’ve had to spend so much time cleaning and deodorizing our own trash containers that we picked up some things along the way and thought we’d share them with you. The noxious smells we experience walking down the street on garbage collection day (after the garbage has been picked up) tell us we’re not the only ones with the problem.

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7 Ways to Beat Back-to-School Clutter

7 Ways to Beat Back-to-School Clutter

September 8, 2016
Organization

Can you believe it’s September already? The summer’s once again come and gone in the blink of an eye.  What’s made it feel even shorter is the amazing weather we’ve had here in Toronto and the GTA. It’s been perfect for barbecues and outdoor activities. Toronto families have been fortunate this summer to have such great weather to spend outdoors.

Now that summer’s drawn to a close, it’s time to take a step back. All those exciting summer activities have surely left a trail of garbage and clutter in their wake. Sporting goods as well as park and beach accessories have most likely taken over your car and the entrance areas of your home. You can’t help but cringe every time you walk by with another armful of back-to-school supplies you’ll have to find space for.

And now that school has started, you know the clutter will only get worse as your kids’ homework and school supplies are brought home day after day. That’s why it’s important to rein in the clutter now before it takes a hold of you and your home over the course of the next year. A 2012 UCLA study confirms what’s pretty obvious to most of us; there’s a link between stress levels and clutter.

Similar to knowing the dentist will stop using that horrible high pitched buzzing tool on your teeth after only a few minutes, knowing there’s a limit to your suffering makes it easier.

In addition to increased stress levels, researchers in this study tell us that the chaos of clutter restricts our ability to focus. We don’t know about you, but we’ve got enough restrictions on our ability to focus and can’t afford any more.

So what can you do about it? Read on for a list of our favourite ways to survive the school year clutter free.

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e waste and electronics recycling tips

E-Waste and Electronics Recycling Tips

September 1, 2016
Recycling

Are you a gadget freak? I know most of us here at City Waste Services are. We’re in love with our electronic gadgets, especially our smartphones. For most of us they’ve actually become an extra appendage. Some of us (you know who you are) have even driven all the way back home just to pick up our forgotten phones! (Aren’t phones supposed to make us more productive?)

The number of smartphone users worldwide will surpass 2 billion this year

And we’re not alone with our obsessions. According to eMarketer, the number of smartphone users worldwide will surpass 2 billion this year and Gartner, a technology research firm, estimated that in 2015, a staggering 1.9 billion cell phones were purchased.

While these numbers alone are already astonishing, these statistics only reflect mobile phones. If you add to that our ongoing need to replace our TVs, laptops and tablets, we’re left with an enormous amount of electronic waste (e-waste) that needs to be disposed of.

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3 Simple Steps To Basement Organization

3 Simple Steps To Basement Organization

August 25, 2016
, Organization

Hi everyone! As promised, we’re back with some helpful tips on our favorite subjects: garbage and junk removal! Today were going to look at how junk tends to accumulate in our basements and  some simple steps to take for better basement organization.

For most people, cleaning around the house is just another part of their daily routine. In fact most homes are usually relatively tidy and are even more so when guests are coming. But most homes also have a dirty little secret: the basement! (Pun totally intended.)

I say secret, but it’s actually anything but one. The basement’s usually where our homeless belongings go for an extended vacation. Most of our basements are dirty, cluttered and in the worst of cases, even breeding grounds for undesirable guests I’d rather not think about, much less write about.

Got your attention with the thought of unspeakable critters bunking in your basement? In need of some basement organization ideas? Well, then it’s time to get moving and deal with the war zone you call your basement once and for all!

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