Several companies having chosen Chambly as a welcoming land act as an example in terms of eco-responsibility, a qualifier in vogue in this era.   With the trend green, Chambly is home to companies that are taking concrete steps to reduce their ecological footprint. Some follow suit, others are more resistant to change.  

Green Pages

The Green Pages describe the word eco-responsible as follows: “An eco-responsible person or company is defined by behavior or activity that respects the environment, but also the social and economic universe of its environment. A responsible person reflects and weighs the consequences of their actions with a view to harmonizing them with the whole in which they participate, in particular so as to reduce their ecological footprint. "   They bring together eco-responsible companies in a single directory, facilitating sustainable consumption and equipping the population for an ecological transition. We can also find on them the Quebec Responsible Consumption Barometer. The Green Pages assess, according to several distinct criteria, companies like Kanaille.  

Kanaille

Patricia Tardif is the owner of the Kanaille boutique, a thrift store for children and maternity giving a second life to children's clothes, toys and articles.   “We are now operating without labels. Aiming for zero waste, we take pins that we collect. We invite people to sell their equipment with us, stretching the longevity of a product. We have a 77% rating on the Green Pages, which help us find solutions to improve ourselves. Through my actions, I encompass the three Rs: recycle, recover and reuse ”, describes Ms. Tardif.  

Ms. & Co

Anna-Gina Bazinet is the owner of Mme & Co, a trade distributor of reusable products, for example, sanitary napkins, diapers, etc. Unlike Patricia Tardif, she rather talks about the three E's:   "Ecology, environment and equity. We fight against disposable items, this is our basis. In our notable actions, we will announce shortly that we will be part of the program put forward by TerraCycle in which we recover all razors which are not recoverable due to cutting blades. We are now skilled, we are officially a drop-off point. Once the box is full, we return it to TerraCycle, which knows how to reuse the equipment wisely, ”says Ms. Bazinet.   Ms. Bazinet took the test on the Green Pages and is waiting for her rating.  

bokal

Valérie Sirois is the owner of Bokal which is, among other things, a grocery store helping to reduce food waste and overpackaging.   “Waste and packaging are global scourges. We invite people to reuse their containers. People tend to think that a single person has no impact. This is completely untrue. The more, individually, we change our habits, the more big companies will have to bend and adapt their ways of doing things.   I opened the Bokal because I was tanned food processing multinationals that sell us the crap CARDBOARD REINFORCEMENT, the imposed weight of imposed prices, disguised price increases. By opening this type of business, I have an impact on more people with my practices, because they adopt our policies, ”advises Ms. Sirois with conviction.   “For a trader, it is easy to go into plastic and not eco-responsible. It's cheaper, but everyone has to change their mothering style. We must already think of packaging other than disposable. These are the companies that will later become the leaders. The others, who have not followed suit, in my opinion, will lose feathers.   When I opened in 2016, nobody understood what I wanted to do. Four years later, we talk about it everywhere on the news or between us. The normal individual, now, is no longer the one who doesn't care. In general, people want to make a difference and know how to do it, ”added the one who settled in Chambly last July.  

Zero waste

The three companies contacted agree that "zero waste" is practically impossible, but the expression means that we are tending towards an approach of maximum reduction of waste leading to review our ways of consuming.

When legalization came into fruition, Canadians soon realized that the cannabis industry was far from green. The cause—excessive packaging. Canada has some of the strictest packaging regulations in the world. The Federal Cannabis Act mandates packaging to be opaque, child-resistant, tamper-evident, waterproof, and contaminate proof. Add Health Canada’s requirements for health warnings, a standardized cannabis symbol, and specific product information and you now have a lot of packaging accompanying even small amounts of cannabis. The Price of Packaging Public outcry for more sustainable solutions followed, and retailers were just as concerned. However, there were hurdles to overcome. Efforts by licensed producers (LPs) to meet regulations have led to the use of several diverse materials, which made recycling through conventional means difficult. Refilling containers was also not an option due to packaging requirements. Courtesy of Garden Variety Cameron Brown, communications officer for The Hunny Pot Cannabis, in Toronto, shares retailers’ frustration. “When we entered the industry, sustainability was top of mind for our team. We opened on April 1, 2019, and from the beginning, we wanted to recycle our packaging properly as well as work on other initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint.” The store receives on average 250 to 500 shipping boxes per week. Brown says their first step was to ensure staff members were separating products properly. Then they needed a program to dispose of the actual containers. Thankfully, Canopy Growth had recognized the problem early on and partnered with TerraCycle, a global leader specializing in hard-to-recycle materials. Their stores Tweed and Tokyo Smoke accept any packaging purchased from licensed retailers, including outer and inner packaging, tins, joint tubes, plastic bottles, caps, and flexible plastic bags. This recycling solution is also available to other retailers. “The program is Canada’s first and largest cannabis packaging recycling program,” states Alex Payne, public relations for TerraCycle North America. “Since its launch in October 2018, the program has signed up 412 cannabis retailers across the country and collected 2,372,634 units of packaging or 47,000 lbs. as of November 2019. These numbers continue to grow as new retailers get involved every month.” “The Hunny Pot reached out to Canopy Growth and TerraCycle to become a part of their program. As of November 2019, we have shipped 25,000 containers to TerraCycle. Our customers are making a real effort to bring the packaging back.” Brown adds that is thanks in part to their one-on-one service that provides education for the consumer. Jason Richeson, store manager for Garden Variety in Manitoba, shares how their popular recycling program, done in partnership with LP, Zenabis, is a little different. “We wanted to stand apart and increase customer incentive. Therefore, we offer clients a 50-cent credit per returned container. Customers can bring in up to 10 items ($5.00 credit) to be redeemed off their purchase daily.” LPs Standing Out with Sustainable Products Co-founder and Executive Director of Freedom Cannabis, Troy Dezwart, states that they are one of the few federally licensed growers committed to not using plastic containers for the recreational market. The privately-owned producer located in Acheson, Alberta, will be the first in Canada to use Nitrotins, which are fully recyclable. As part of the packaging process, a drop of liquid nitrogen is used to purge air from the Nitrotin. This process has the added benefit of increasing the product’s shelf life and maintaining quality. Freedom Cannabis products began distribution in late 2019, early 2020 and retailers are excited about the new packaging. Industry Tight-lipped Regarding Vape Products As the marketplace prepares for the introduction of cannabis vape pens and cartridges, a whole new set of recycling woes await. Vape products are more complex to recycle as they contain several different materials, batteries, and electronics in small quantities that need to be separated. A viable recycling program will require scale and time to develop. Most producers and retailers are without a solid recycling plan. Dezwart says Freedom Cannabis is still working on finding high-quality vape products with recyclable parts. Courtesy of The Hunny Pot Cannabis The Hunny Pot shares that they are in open discussions with LPs regarding their plans for new products and how to recycle them. “We will continue to keep on our producers to ensure we have a solution,” adds Brown. “We are not even sure if there will be an opportunity to recycle them yet,” says Richeson. “Garden Variety’s management company, Native Roots in Colorado, is experiencing this now. It’s a real concern because the sector blew up for them, overtaking flower sales.” This is predicted to happen in Canada as well. “Unfortunately, cannabis vape cartridges are not currently accepted through the Cannabis Packaging Recycling Program,” says TerraCycle’s Payne. It seems the consensus remains to wait and see. Social Responsibility Beyond Recycling Throughout all the highs and lows that the industry has faced, it is reassuring to see retailers and producers showing their commitment to social responsibility. Beyond its recycling efforts, The Hunny Pot now offers 100% biodegradable plastic bags. Bags can be kept to use them again; however, once exposed to the elements, they will break down completely within 18 months. This spring, the company is also looking forward to having beehives installed on its roof, furthering their environmental commitment. On the production end, as LPs begin to increase their scale and expand their product focus, cost savings have allowed them to start exploring more advanced sustainable packaging. And, eco-friendly packaging could be just the marketing tool they need to make their green products stand out. Author: Tania Moffat

The Henkel-owned haircare giant has partnered with the waste management company to make its retail hair care, color and styling products recyclable across the US. The sustainability push will see shoppers invited to collect their empty packaging from Schwarzkopf products, and send them to TerraCycle. Empties will then be recycled and transformed into new products such as park benches, bike racks, pet food bowls and recycling bins.   "We're proud that 100% of Schwarzkopf retail product packaging will now be recyclable," Manuela Emmrich, Marketing Director, Hair US, Henkel Beauty Care, said in a statement. "Through the TerraCycle/ Schwarzkopf program, there is now a solution for hair product packaging that has historically been difficult to recycle, due to a myriad of curb-side recycling program requirements." "The expansion of Henkel's partnership with TerraCycle is an important part of Henkel's commitment to a circular economy for plastic and sustainable packaging, and our target of ensuring 100 percent of our Beauty and Laundry & Home Care packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025," added Martina Spinatsch, Vice President, R&D, Beauty Care, Henkel North America. Three different Schwarzkopf Recycling Programs have been established to deal with aerosols, hair coloration products and all other packaging, with individuals, schools, offices and community organizations all encouraged to participate. Collectors can be rewarded for their efforts by earning points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to the non-profit, school; or charitable organization of their choice. Schwarzkopf is not the only beauty brand turning to TerraCycle to up its recycling game -- Herbal Essences, Garnier USA and Gillette have all recently launched initiatives with the company.

Waterloo North Hydro (WNH), a local electricity distribution company, has teamed up with TerraCycle  to recycle traditionally unrecyclable coffee bags through the Zero Waste Box program.   Sustainability and environmental stewardship are core values of  WNH and its employees. The organization’s commitment to the environment has helped make it a leader in sustainability and its employees play a key role in promoting environmental awareness both at the office and in the communities WNH serves.   As part of its commitment to the environment, WNH employees have collected coffee bag waste from the office for responsible disposal through a local resource. Recently, when the local disposal option became nonviable, WNH’s Green Team identified TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box program as a convenient way to continue diverting coffee bag waste from the landfill.   By placing the Coffee Bags Zero Waste Box in the employee lunch room, WNH encourages employees to recycle coffee bags used in the office and to bring in their coffee waste from home.   Like most plastic packaging, these conventionally unrecyclable coffee bags would have otherwise been landfilled, incinerated, or contributed to the pollution of marine habitats. The collected packaging will now be recycled into a variety of new products, including park benches, bike racks, shipping pallets and recycling bins.   TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, created the Zero Waste Box program to provide solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste that cannot be recycled through TerraCycle’s brand-sponsored, national recycling programs or via standard municipal recycling.   WNH hopes TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box will help encourage employees to be mindful of their waste production inside and outside of the office.   "TerraCycle offers us another option to do the right thing as a business to be a responsible member of the community in Waterloo,” says Will Stratford, WNH’s Manager of HSE and Sustainability. “If you would try to reduce your impact on the environment at home, why not do it at work too?"     More information regarding Waterloo North Hydro can be found by visiting their website, www.wnhydro.com.   All collected materials from the Zero Waste Box program are sent to TerraCycle for recycling, where they undergo a series of treatments before getting turned into new items. For more information on TerraCycle, please visit www.TerraCycle.ca.   TerraCycle offers Zero Waste Boxes for nearly every category of waste. By purchasing Zero Waste Boxes, companies and consumers save trash from landfills and help reach TerraCycle’s goal of creating a waste-free world.   About Waterloo North Hydro Waterloo North Hydro Inc. is regulated and licensed by the Ontario Energy Board to provide all regulated electricity distribution services to more than 57,000 business and residential customers in the City of Waterloo, Township of Wellesley and the Township of Woolwich. It is jointly owned by the City of Waterloo and the Townships of Wellesley and Woolwich.   About TerraCycle TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle also sells Zero Waste Boxes that are purchased by end users to recycle items in offices, homes, factories and public facilities. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine’s list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.TerraCycle.ca.

Unless you’d like to see this planet’s wildlife and environment continue to suffer as a result of improperly disposed cosmetics products, then it’s time to start recycling our empty beauty products properly. One way to do that is to check if the plastic container of a personal care product has a number 1 or 2 printed inside its recycling symbol, then it’s safe to go into your curbside recycling. However, if it’s not, we recommend searching for a retailer with a recycling program to ensure your empties are being disposed of without hurting the environment.

Here are 12 places to responsibly recycle your empty beauty products in Toronto.  

   

Schwarzkopf, a global leader in hair care solutions, a brand of Henkel, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle to make their retail hair care, colour and styling products recyclable nationwide.   As of January 1^st  consumers are invited to collect and mail-in the empty product packaging from participating Schwarzkopf hair care products, including the brands göt2b styling & color, Color Ultime, Keratin Color and the newly launched Simply Color.   "Hair care products are a staple in the daily routines of countless consumers," said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. "The launch of the Schwarzkopf Recycling Programs represents an exciting opportunity to divert a large category of waste from landfills. We look forward to partnering with this forward-thinking company for many years to come and continue to offer sustainable solutions to traditionally hard to recycle packaging."   "The expansion of Henkel's partnership with TerraCycle is an important part of Henkel's commitment to a circular economy for plastic and sustainable packaging, and our target of ensuring 100 percent of our Beauty and Laundry & Home Care packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025," adds Martina Spinatsch, Vice President, R&D, Beauty Care, Henkel North America.   Elements of the Schwarzkopf/ TerraCycle partnership include the following programs:  

• Schwarzkopf Aerosols Recycling Program: Consumers wishing to recycle their Schwarzkopf-branded empty aerosol containers are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/schwarzkopf-aerosol.When ready to ship the packaging waste, simply download a free shipping label, package the empty aerosol containers in the box of your choice and send it to TerraCycle for recycling.

• Schwarzkopf Hair Coloration Recycling Program: Participants who would like to recycle their Schwarzkopf-branded hair coloration products, including plastic jars, lids, bottles, closures, tubes, pumps, caps etc.; as well as flexible and rigid aluminum; and cardboard and paper are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/schwarzkopf-color. When ready to ship the packaging waste, simply download a free shipping label, package the empty hair coloring packaging in the box of your choice and send it to TerraCycle for recycling.

• Schwarzkopf Recycling Program: Participants interested in recycling all other Schwarzkopf branded retail products outside of the hair coloration and aerosol product lines are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/schwarzkopf-hair. This recycling program accepts plastic jars, lids, bottles, closures, tubes, pumps, caps etc.; as well as flexible and rigid aluminum; and cardboard and paper.

  "We're proud that 100% of Schwarzkopf retail product packaging will now be recyclable," says Manuela Emmrich, Marketing Director, Hair US, Henkel Beauty Care. "Through the TerraCycle/ Schwarzkopf program, there is now a solution for hair product packaging that has historically been difficult to recycle, due to a myriad of curb-side recycling program requirements," she continues.   The Schwarzkopf Recycling Programs are open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization. For every shipment of waste sent to TerraCycle through any of the Schwarzkopf Recycling Programs, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to the non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice. Once collected, the packaging waste will be recycled into a variety of new consumer products such as park benches, bike racks, pet food bowls and recycling bins.   For more information on TerraCycle's recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.

  Plastic packaging creates a lot of waste and this is especially true within the toy industry, which is a major creator of plastic-heavy toy packaging waste. In 2019, MGA Entertainment's popular L.O.L Surprise! brand promised to create a bio-degradable ball and at the New York Toy Fair, it was recently revealed. As the unboxing experience is one of the most important parts of the L.O.L Surprise! toys, this solution helps to keep plastic from taking up space in landfills. In the future, paper-based accessory bags will be introduced, along with more degradable packaging. As part of its vision for a sustainable future, L.O.L Surprise! is working with TerraCycle so that toy packaging waste—including notoriously hard-to-sort materials—can be properly disposed of, recycled and even remolded into new products. Image Credit: MGA Entertainment

Halloween is far behind us, but the collection of sunken candy packaging continues at LaRocque School. Teacher Dominique Hébert has established a partnership with the company Avrac A'davrac in order to pick up these papers which cannot be recovered.   The initiative had a lot of talk in October: the co-founder of Effect PH, Hélène Boissonneault, had collected in some forty drop-off points all these types of packaging (chocolate bars, chips, etc.) by handing them over to TerraCycle , a company which gives a second life to this type of waste.   Each class has its basket and a student is responsible for emptying it. "The children made video capsules to find out what to put in the box," says the teacher, who took care of the project at Halloween.   The teacher, who had difficulty finding a budget for the project, approached various organizations before Avrac A'davrac agreed to sponsor the school box. “What we said to each other is that we are training citizens, we want them to be eco-responsible. We want to make them aware of the environment, to pay attention to the planet, because we don't have planet B! "   The children wrote humorous scenarios for the broadcasting of the capsules.   Dominique Robert advocates for a better integration of environmental protection in schools. “The ecological aspect is up to our motivations. I think schools have to rethink that, ”she illustrates, giving the example of a budget for ecological initiatives. This place of the environment is all the more important as the ecological footprint of schools is large, she underlines by adding that certain initiatives should extend to all schools. "Is it up to us to do it?" Yes, as citizens, but how can we make institutions responsible so that it becomes collective and community action? "   The presence of collection boxes on Halloween had the effect of raising awareness among the children, who had not yet wondered about the fate of their candy, chocolate or other packaging.   "I never looked at whether we could put them in recycling," says Iona Gendron.   Owner of Avrac A'davrac, François Vincent notes that the initiative launched during Halloween week has indeed made people aware of what is happening with their packaging. “It gives a visual when you see tons and tons of garbage bags. It’s tangible. It's a huge amount of plastic, it makes you aware of that ... "However, we must pay attention to the opposite effect, notes Mr. Vincent, recalling that it is not because we can now recycle these packaging that we must encourage their consumption, the objective being to reduce at the source. Mr. Vincent believes that it is through laws and regulations that things can change.   The grocery store now offers its customers the possibility of paying $ 20 per year to dispose of their non-recyclable packaging in order to send it to Terracycle.   Dominique Hébert specifies that other projects are underway. It wishes to install three-way bins, to recover paper and cardboard, plastic and non-recoverable packaging intended for TerraCycle. "We are going to apply for financial assistance from the School Board Foundation," she said, stressing the importance of getting children used to sorting materials.

This year’s Seedy Saturday was a great success!  Our attendance was the highest ever recorded for a Hamilton Seedy Saturday with 832 people.  That is almost 200 people more than last year! We had 30 vendors including seed vendors, environmental businesses and community groups. The workshops were very well attended with 95 guests enjoying them.  Special mention goes out to Sentimental Farm whose workshop Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds: Why You Should was so popular that avid gardeners were spilling out into the hallway to hear their talk. We also had a great workshop – The Growing Season in southern Ontario – Season planning for new gardeners and newcomers delivered in English and Arabic. Thanks to Neighbour to Neighbour for making this happen! Geek + Tea, our food vendor this year, did a great job not only keeping people warm and fed, but also managed to have zero waste sent to the landfill.  All of our cafe waste was composted, recycled or sent to TerraCycle.  So thank you to Geek + Tea and all of our visitors and vendors for bringing along your zero waste lunch solutions! THANK you to all of our volunteers who helped on the day of with set up and tear down, seed sorting, vendor logistics, the welcome table and raffle and much more, we could not have done it without you!! Dundurn Castle once again played an important role partnering with us to run the seed swap room.  Thanks to them and all our volunteers in the seed swap room the tables were well stocked with seeds all day. We also introduced a “sort your own seeds” table at this year’s event which encouraged those who brought seeds to spend some time sorting them into seed swap size portions. A HUGE thank you to The Boys and Girls Club for hosting at their wonderful venue. The staff was incredibly welcoming to Green Venture and all of our attendees.  They also ran the children’s activities for the event and had over 40 children visit them.  Many vendors, volunteers and attendees mentioned how much they enjoyed this space for Seedy Saturday. We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann, Ward 4 Councillor Sam Merulla, Facedrive and Humble Bee. Thank you everyone for once again making this event an amazing welcome to Spring! We cannot wait for next year!