One Change Per Week

Share One Change Per Week on Facebook Share One Change Per Week on X (formerly Twitter) Share One Change Per Week on Linkedin Email One Change Per Week link

Changing your recycling habits can feel pretty daunting. It also might not feel like what you recycle (or don’t recycle) is really that big a deal. But it all adds up—to 13.5%, in fact, which is the total amount of incompatible material found in our last audit from Recycle BC. They’re the ones who take everything we collect and then sort it at their facilities (we do not do any sorting ourselves). We’ve talked about this before: while the technology for sorting recycling is pretty slick these days, it can’t catch everything. That’s why we require certain items to be recycled in separate streams, rather than curbside. If we picked up everything curbside, the cost would be much higher than it is today—meaning higher taxes for everyone. That’s why we need your help with sorting (and cleaning) items before putting them in your cart or taking them to the depot.

Phew—it’s a lot to learn. But why not try making small changes rather than changing everything at once? We could give you a long list or an infographic filled with every item you might have in your house, but trying to remember everything you read later isn’t exactly easy.

Let’s think about #OneChangePerWeek instead—making one change at a time is manageable and more likely to stick in your brain!

Check out the weekly challenges below and see if you can achieve them each week. You can also click the "Questions" tab to ask for clarification. You'll be a refuse pro in no time.

Changing your recycling habits can feel pretty daunting. It also might not feel like what you recycle (or don’t recycle) is really that big a deal. But it all adds up—to 13.5%, in fact, which is the total amount of incompatible material found in our last audit from Recycle BC. They’re the ones who take everything we collect and then sort it at their facilities (we do not do any sorting ourselves). We’ve talked about this before: while the technology for sorting recycling is pretty slick these days, it can’t catch everything. That’s why we require certain items to be recycled in separate streams, rather than curbside. If we picked up everything curbside, the cost would be much higher than it is today—meaning higher taxes for everyone. That’s why we need your help with sorting (and cleaning) items before putting them in your cart or taking them to the depot.

Phew—it’s a lot to learn. But why not try making small changes rather than changing everything at once? We could give you a long list or an infographic filled with every item you might have in your house, but trying to remember everything you read later isn’t exactly easy.

Let’s think about #OneChangePerWeek instead—making one change at a time is manageable and more likely to stick in your brain!

Check out the weekly challenges below and see if you can achieve them each week. You can also click the "Questions" tab to ask for clarification. You'll be a refuse pro in no time.

  • Week 2 Challenge - Propane Tanks

    Share Week 2 Challenge - Propane Tanks on Facebook Share Week 2 Challenge - Propane Tanks on X (formerly Twitter) Share Week 2 Challenge - Propane Tanks on Linkedin Email Week 2 Challenge - Propane Tanks link
    supporting image

    Changing recycling habits can be pretty daunting, but making #OneChangePerWeek is doable, right?

    This week, we wish to burn into your brain that propane canisters and similar compressed gas containers should NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A BIG RUSH TO CLEAN UP YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE YOUR IN-LAWS ARE COMING TO VISIT OR IF YOU JUST CAME BACK FROM A CAMPING TRIP AND WERE STUCK BRINGING BACK ALL YOUR FRIENDS’ GARBAGE OR IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT go in any of your curbside carts. Not garbage, not recycling, and certainly not compost!

    It’s simple. These canisters tend to explode when compacted and can become self-propelled rockets if ruptured. They could also catch fire—particularly dangerous in sorting facilities full of highly flammable paper and cardboard. Putting propane canisters in your recycling bin puts our operators and the public at risk, as well as workers in the recycling facilities further down the recycling chain. It is incredibly dangerous, and yet we still see this happen regularly. Even one is one too many.

    Recycle Coach indicates these should be taken to ABC Recycling, Allen’s Scrap & Salvage, or the Transfer Station. Please, NEVER try to sneak propane canisters or any hazardous items into your cart—it’s just not worth the risk.

    recycle@terrace.ca | 250-615-4019

    Changing recycling habits can be pretty daunting, but making #OneChangePerWeek is doable, right?

    This week, we wish to burn into your brain that propane canisters and similar compressed gas containers should NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A BIG RUSH TO CLEAN UP YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE YOUR IN-LAWS ARE COMING TO VISIT OR IF YOU JUST CAME BACK FROM A CAMPING TRIP AND WERE STUCK BRINGING BACK ALL YOUR FRIENDS’ GARBAGE OR IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT go in any of your curbside carts. Not garbage, not recycling, and certainly not compost!

    It’s simple. These canisters tend to explode when compacted and can become self-propelled rockets if ruptured. They could also catch fire—particularly dangerous in sorting facilities full of highly flammable paper and cardboard. Putting propane canisters in your recycling bin puts our operators and the public at risk, as well as workers in the recycling facilities further down the recycling chain. It is incredibly dangerous, and yet we still see this happen regularly. Even one is one too many.

    Recycle Coach indicates these should be taken to ABC Recycling, Allen’s Scrap & Salvage, or the Transfer Station. Please, NEVER try to sneak propane canisters or any hazardous items into your cart—it’s just not worth the risk.

    recycle@terrace.ca | 250-615-4019

    You need to be signed in to add your comment.

    number of comments, image icon 2 comments

  • Week 1 Challenge - Bagless Recycling

    Share Week 1 Challenge - Bagless Recycling on Facebook Share Week 1 Challenge - Bagless Recycling on X (formerly Twitter) Share Week 1 Challenge - Bagless Recycling on Linkedin Email Week 1 Challenge - Bagless Recycling link
    supporting image

    Our recycling carts are BAGLESS. That means you should not put your recycling in bags before adding it to your cart. Loose items only, please! You are always allowed to put extra recycling in clear plastic bags next to your cart, though.

    On that note, our drivers are now ripping open those extra recycling bags at the curbside, dumping them in your cart, and then dumping the cart into the truck. The empty bags are then taken to Do Your Part to be recycled with other soft plastic there. During the pandemic, as a safety precaution, drivers were just tossing the full bags into the truck to be ripped open later at the Recycle BC facilities.

    We hope this #OneChangePerWeek is an easy one to remember—see you next week!

    recycle@terrace.ca | 250-615-4019

    Our recycling carts are BAGLESS. That means you should not put your recycling in bags before adding it to your cart. Loose items only, please! You are always allowed to put extra recycling in clear plastic bags next to your cart, though.

    On that note, our drivers are now ripping open those extra recycling bags at the curbside, dumping them in your cart, and then dumping the cart into the truck. The empty bags are then taken to Do Your Part to be recycled with other soft plastic there. During the pandemic, as a safety precaution, drivers were just tossing the full bags into the truck to be ripped open later at the Recycle BC facilities.

    We hope this #OneChangePerWeek is an easy one to remember—see you next week!

    recycle@terrace.ca | 250-615-4019