Waste Reduction

Every year, Canadians send around 10 million tons of waste to landfills and most of what we buy becomes trash within only 6 months. Want to be a part of the solution? Check out the resources below!

The Waste Hierarchy: What's best for minimizing waste?

Rethink & Reduce

The easiest way to deal with waste is not creating any in the first place!

Reuse & Repair

Extending the life of the items we have for as long as possible to stop them from becoming waste.

Recycle & Compost

Recycling recovers valuable materials from old products like plastics, metals, glass, paper and cardboard, giving them new life. Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic materials into healthy nutrients for the soil.

Landfill

Sending waste to the landfill should be the “last resort” for things that can’t be reused, repaired or recycled.

What can I do?

Title

Accordion Answer

Reduce Single Use

Avoid This:	Try This:
Plastic Shopping Bags	Cloth or Canvas Bags
Plastic Sandwich Bags (Ziploc Bags)	Tupperware Containers
Plastic Wrap	Beeswax Wraps
Disposal Cups And Bottles	Travel Mugs/ Stainless Steel Water Bottles
Plastic Straws	Metal or Silicone Straws
Styrofoam Take Out Containers	Bring Your Own Reusable Container
Paper Towel	Washable Cloth
Produce Bags	Mesh Bags
Paper Lunch Bags	Cloth Lunch Bag
Baking Parchment	Silicon Baking Mat
Dryer Sheet	Wool Dryer Ball
Tea Bags	Loose Leaf Tea
Paper Napkins	Cloth Napkins

Reduce Food Waste

Did you know, the average Canadian household wastes over $1,700 every year by throwing away wasted food? That's right, about 20% of all our groceries end up in the garbage. To find out how you can stop wasting food and save money, check out these resources!

WasteLESS - An Environment Lethbridge Project

Love Food Hate Waste Canada - National Zero Waste Council

Re-Think Shopping

Say no to Fast Fashion: Buy high quality clothing built to last
Choose to reuse: Buy second-hand items instead of new
Look for sustainable shipping when buying online
Shop local when you can
Buy only what you need! Ask yourself: Do I need this? How long will I use it for? Is it worth the environmental impact?
Buy refillable products. Many health food stores have refill stations for products such as, shampoo, toothpaste, hair gel, cleaning products and body lotion.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bags!)

Reuse & Repair

Donate or Sell

One person's trash is another person's treasure! Gently used items don’t need to be sent to the landfill and can be sold or donated instead. Use the Waste Wizard search tool to find local donation options.

Repair or Mend

Look into having an item repaired when it stops working rather than buying new. Click here for a list of local repair shops.

Rent or Borrow

Often you can rent or borrow items instead of buying new, especially things you may only use once or twice. The Lethbridge Library has a huge variety of books, dvds, cds and more!

Go Digital

Reduce the amount of paper products by trying E-books, E-newspapers, and E-magazines. You can also go electronic for bills and bank statements instead of receiving them in the mail. Click here to switch to City of Lethbridge e-Utility today.

Upcycle

Often things can be used for more than their original design. Upcycling or creative reuse can be a fun way to extend the life of a product and often can be in replace of buying something new.

Recycle

City of Lethbridge Recycling Programs

The Curbside Recycling Program is for all your household plastic packages numbered #1-7, paper and cardboard, metal cans & foil and beverage containers.

The City's 3 Recycling Stations accept all regular curbside recyclables and also have special bins for bagged shredded paper, clear glass bottles & jars and soft film plastics.

The Waste & Recycling Centre has special collection areas for recycling things like Household Hazardous Waste, Paint, Electronics, Appliances, Scrap Metal and Appliances, and more!

Ever wonder what your recyclables will be turned into? Here are some examples:

Recyclable Material	New Product
Hard Plastic (such as Shampoo Bottles)	Plastic Lumber (Picnic Tables, Benches), Recycled Polyester Fleece & Clothing
Metal Cans and Tinfoil	Bike Parts or More Metal Cans
Paper	Newspaper or Toilet Paper
Cardboard	Egg Cartons, More Cardboard

When we recycle, we are giving new life to old products. Remember that turning our recyclables into new products requires shipping and manufacturing; all this energy means a bigger carbon footprint. Before you recycle something, think about how you could reuse or repurpose it. Could you replace it with a reusable alternative instead?

Compost & Grasscycle

Did you know? As much as half of what we throw away could be turned into compost! Keeping our food scraps, grass clippings, leaves and yard waste out of the landfill can significantly reduce our environmental footprint. These City of Lethbridge programs can help:

Backyard Composting

Grasscycling

Residential Yard Waste Sites

Fall Leaf Collection

Holiday & Celebration Waste

The holiday season, celebrations and birthday parties bring traditions, family, fun and surprises, but often they also mean more waste is sent to the landfill. These events don't have to be so wasteful! These hints are from the "Create Memories Not Waste" Christmas campaign but can be applied to other celebrations.

Try fabric gift bags or fabric wrapping.
Gift experiences over things (like a leisure pass, movie ticket, concert, or sporting event)
Give a gift that supports protecting wildlife, natural areas, or other environmentally or socially beneficial programs.