Recycling versus landfill

Did you know that there is just 21 years capacity left available at Steinbach Landfill? So what should our expectations be? In 20 years time, how big a landfill will we need, and where should we put it? Or could we by some miracle have reduced the amount of waste we discard for recycling or landfill? This week, South Eastman Transition Initiative went out on a tour of the Steinbach Landfill site and Eastman Recycling facility. We heard what it takes to establish a landfill site - the thick layer of impermeable clay needed beneath the site, the leachate management, the odour management. We also heard that transport costs are the major costs in managing our waste movement from homes and businesses to the landfill.

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The economy, the environment or jobs – which is more important to you?

If you have a mortgage, lots of payments and a young family, then understandably you would most likely say your job is the most important. However if you were retired living on a pension with your mortgage all paid off, then probably the economy would be your priority so as to guarantee your pension. But if asked which is more important to your grandchildren or your as-yet unborn great grandchildren, you would probably say the environment should have top priority.

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Trying Something New

A while ago I tried something new. I made my own dishwasher soap! While I was at it, I checked out how to make laundry and dish soap, and tried that too – all in one evening. Making dishwasher soap is easier than making a batch of muffins... and laundry soap is even easier than that! Most of the ingredients are the same for both, so I got everything I needed in one trip to the grocery store. What goes in it? Glad you asked! DIYNatural.com has a recipe for laundry soap that goes like this:

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Feed the soil…

This week is International Compost Awareness Week and the Compost Council of Canada is inviting us to ‘feed the soil’. That means giving back to the soil that grows our food. Soil is the basis of life on our planet, but it can take well over 500 years to create just a couple of centimetres. Soil is vulnerable to losses through wind erosion, water erosion, and its structure can be damaged by compaction and water-logging. Soil that is lacking in organic matter will dry out quickly, be low in nutrients and have poor plant structure for plant growth. Well-nourished soil resists erosion, retains moisture and can suppress plant diseases, reducing the need for watering and the application of pesticides.

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The Benefit of Alternatives

In 2003, I was working at Asessippi ski hill when a co-worker mentioned that a friend of his was planning to build a straw bale house. Amazed at the idea, I asked whether that was really possible. Until that moment, I didn’t believe that houses could be any different than the wood, plastic & vinyl boxes that I knew so well.

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