FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2023
HOLIDAY WASTE REDUCTION CAMPAIGN
Lévis, December 7, 2023 – Réduire l’enfouissement, c’est maintenant! launches a regional campaign to inform the population of Chaudière-Appalaches about the proper management of packaging and Christmas decorations during the holiday season.
“Giving gifts is wonderful, but they’re often over-wrapped. People mean well when they put materials like metallized wrapping paper, bubble wrap, decorative ribbons and cabbages, pieces of Styrofoam or cellophane in their recycling bin, but these materials can’t be recycled. Unfortunately, they go in the garbage can. When you have a choice, it’s best to use recycled materials, such as newspaper and cardboard boxes to wrap your gifts, said Mr. Jacob Bouchard, Communications Manager for Société VIA and campaign spokesperson.
According to Zero Waste Canada, each Canadian throws away about 50 kg of garbage during the holiday season, 25% more than the rest of the year. Making good packaging choices can help reduce material waste, but it’s also possible to offer gifts that generate little or no waste and support the local economy; many SMEs in our region offer gift vouchers for services such as shows, a meal in a restaurant, short training courses, a day at the spa, an outing to an amusement center, etc.
“First of all, I’d like to wish all the residents of Chaudière-Appalaches a wonderful holiday season. From November to January, we often find Christmas decorations on our sorting lines, such as Christmas trees, both natural and plastic, and broken baubles. These materials don’t go in the blue bin, so you should try to reuse them. If that’s not possible, you can take your natural Christmas tree to the ecocenter, but put your broken baubles in the garbage. Another good thing to know is that Christmas lights and garlands are long items that make our work more complicated, as they wind up in our rotating equipment and cause production stoppages at the sorting center. It’s therefore important to use these types of decorations for as long as possible, and to dispose of them in the garbage – or at an ecocenter in the case of lights – only if they are really no longer usable,” concluded Jean-Sébastien Daigle, President and CEO of Société VIA.
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