No excuse

We are a wasteful lot and tend to recycle less—at least according to recent data from Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO).
The average Fort Frances resident generated 419 kg of waste in 2007, well above the provincial average of 385 kg, which left the town ranked 146th out of 206 municipalities. We fared even worse in terms of recycling, with residents diverting just 14.3 percent of their trash from the local landfill—almost 25 percent below the provincial average of 39.2 percent to rank 184th out of 206.
While it’s true ranking towns on waste diversion is a little like comparing apples and oranges, our numbers certainly leave plenty of room for improvement.
Judging by the number of “blue boxes” sitting on the curbs every two weeks, most residents have taken recycling to heart. But clearly, too much waste still is ending up at the dump each year, which, in turn, drags down our recycling percentage.
In other words, recycling more is just half of the equation. We, as a community and a society, have to learn to waste less on the whole if we’re going to turn things around.
It can be done—and without a whole lot of effort. Perhaps it means being more creative with leftovers rather than throwing food out, and buying what we’ll consume instead of tossing spoiled fruit and produce week in and week out.
As well, composting organic materials certainly would go a long way towards diverting garbage from the landfill. While Fort Frances may not have the population or capacity to make community composters feasible, as in other municipalities, that doesn’t mean individuals can’t take the bull by the horns.
And for those who don’t yet recycle, it’s time to start. Surely peeling labels off cans, crushing milk cartons, and folding up cereal boxes isn’t too much of a chore to ask compared to a legacy of rotting landfills scarring our planet.
Frankly, there’s just no excuse for not improving our waste diversion. We all can—and must—make a difference.