Jackman’s Waste Audit Results

We did it again.  Jackman’s Eco Team conducted another waste audit.  We saved all of Tuesday’s garbage to investigate on Wednesday.  The information we gathered is really important.  We will use it to create new waste reduction projects. 

Now what you’ve all been waiting for… the total mass of Tuesday’s garbage... drum roll please… 11 kg!!!  Wow!  Last year, we had 20 kg!   Six years ago, we had 36kg!  Now we're down to 11kg.  Impressive!  Our waste reduction strategies are working!   Here is a summary of what we found in Jackman’s garbage

Recyclables - about 1 kg (should have been recycled)

Some papers/paper scraps and one cardboard box

3 juice boxes and some other drink containers

Some plastic food containers (just rinse & recycle these)

Styrofoam containers (rinse and recycle these too)

Milk bags and plastic shopping bags (yes, even bags can be recycled)

Food Waste - about 1 kg (should have been eaten or composted)

Pizza crusts, bread, half-eaten granola bars

Fruit - an apple, some grapes

Fruit scraps - banana peels, orange peels, apple cores, pear core

Even some unopened/uneaten snacks

 

Paper Towels & Other Soiled Papers – about 2 kg

(should have been composted)

Lots of paper towels and tissues (put them in the city compost instead)

A few soiled paper plates

Real Garbage - a.k.a. LANDFILL - about 6 kg (4kg less than last year)

LOTS of snack and candy wrappers (What can we do to reduce this?)

11 single-use coffee cups

Craft materials (craft sticks, pipe cleaners)

Black plastic (unfortunately, black plastic cannot be recycled here in Toronto)

Broken glue guns and broken staplers

LOTS of photocopy carbons (RISO)

Latex gloves

Plastic straws

Reusables - about 1 kg (How did these get in the garbage?)

Pencils, markers, crayons, erasers, paper clips, elastic bands, glue sticks

Marbles and Lego

A silver spoon and silver fork

Ziploc snack bags (these can be reused)

Jackman’s Eco Team is very excited!  We will use this information to inspire our waste reduction ideas.  We want everyone to be more mindful about waste.  We aspire to be 100% eco-friendly in everything we do!    

Getting Ready For Another WASTE AUDIT

Jackman's eco goal is simple... MAKE LESS GARBAGE!   Yep, we’re learning to be more mindful about the garbage we create.   It takes a little thought, a little planning, a little effort.  But it's worth it. 

And soon, we will put our garbage goal to the test. We will conduct another waste audit.  We will save a whole day's worth of Jackman's garbage. Then the eco team will conduct a thorough investigation to see exactly what’s in there.   It's a messy job, but someone's got to do it.  We will sort it, count it, measure it, and discuss it.  Then we use this data to make plans for further waste reduction.  Look at our data from the last few years...

2013 - 36 kg 

2014 - 32 kg  

2015 - 22 kg 

2016 - 24 kg 

2017 - 20 kg

As you can see, we are making less garbage overall.  What will 2018 bring?  Are we making less garbage at Jackman?  We hope so.  And soon we'll know the answer.

So Many Halloween Candy Wrappers

Ugh!  So many Halloween candy wrappers in the garbage!!!  Jackman's Eco Team is wondering... "Why can't candy companies make more eco friendly packaging, like Nestle and their Smarties boxes?"  We decide to put our eco ideas into action.  We wrote this letter and sent it to local candy companies... Nestle, Cadbury, Mars and Hershey's.   Looking forward to their responses.

Dear ______________,

We’re the kids from Jackman Avenue Public School, in Toronto. We need to tell you this… we LOVE HALLOWEEN! Parties! Costumes! Trick or treating! So much fun!!! Thank you for making so many yummy Halloween treats for us to enjoy!  

Still, we have a problem.  Halloween candy is usually packaged in wrappers and they’re creating LOTS of GARBAGE.  And garbage is piling up in our landfill. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is! When our landfill is full, where are we going to put our candy wrappers and other garbage?   The Earth is not happy about this. And neither are we. Read more to learn how to make the Earth your friend.

Here is an idea for you: Use paper boxes for your candy.  Then we can recycle or compost the packaging. No garbage!!!  Some companies are already packaging candy in paper boxes. Nestlé, for example, packages their Smarties in paper boxes.  We think you should try it. Then everybody will have yummy, WASTE-FREE treats for Halloween. And we won’t worry about the landfill!  A step in the right direction, don’t you think?

In closing, we just want to say thank you for considering our idea. We hope you agree with us and make a change in how you package your candies.  Making less garbage is everyone’s responsibility. Next Halloween, we hope to find your delicious candies in boxes, not wrappers.  And you will be the SUPER-HEROES of Halloween!

Sincerely,

Jackman’s Eco Team (a.k.a. the JETs)