October 18th-22nd was Waste Reduction Week in Canada, and The City of Morden took the opportunity to help residents better navigate change in the landscape of Waste Management in Morden. Officials took to social media to remind people of the importance of disposing of their garbage, recycling and compost in the appropriate manner.

Communication and Social Media Director, Daniel Rocha, says keeping yourself educated is key to waste reduction success. 

"I think everything starts with education. We have a lot of people who are not too familiar with the composting system, even when we have had it for a few years now. But, it's just trying to remind all residents what goes in each bin, and educating people and communicating and reminding them that there is an impact of everybody's action," said Rocha. "We have to start taking measures. and you can get a fine if you start disposing of the wrong items on the compost site, for example, or even on your compost bin. Just recently it came to our attention that people were using biodegradable bags for their compost, which is something that is not ideal. You have to use compost bags, not biodegradable bags, and you will get a label on your compost cart when you do that." He continued, "We are going to try to communicate this better to all residents."

Rocha also would like to draw attention to the use of the compost side of the landfill and how it can be used appropriately.

"And of course the landfill, we remind people that the compost side is not a landfill. You cannot just go and dispose of any furniture and things like that. This is just for clippings and leaves and things that are compostable." Rocha added, "If the furniture is in good shape, we would like people to donate it or recirculate it. This is the circular economy that we are talking about. Instead of disposing of things, maybe you can fix them up a little bit and hand them over to somebody else, or we have many thrift stores in the community that can make use of them. And if not, they need to be taken directly to places like Penner Waste or MWM, which will dispose of them correctly for you."

He says it was a good week to remind and refresh people on the information they may not be aware of.

Old batteries can be dropped off at either the Morden Fire Department or at the Access Event Centre, both places have bins to safely dispose of them safely.

Rocha remarked that when people do not follow the guidelines it impacts everyone environmentally and economically through increased sorting costs and individual fines.

For more information on how to dispose of your waste correctly, click here for the Morden Guidelines. Note that these items can change and be updated so it's a good idea to check in regularly to keep up to date. You can also call the Civic Centre where there are people available to answer your questions.