Whether you’ve always been diligent about separating your recycling or horrifying photos of the effects global warming is having on our planet have recently spurred you to start carrying your own stainless-steel straw, there’s still a lot more all of us can do to recycle more efficiently. But there’s also a lot that can feel confusing about what can – and can’t – be recycled, and getting it wrong can result in contaminating a whole batch and sending it to a landfill. So where to begin? Start simply, says Brent Bell, VP of Recycling for Waste Management. “The recycling rate for soda and water bottles is only 30 percent today, so let’s increase the rate of how we’re recycling the right items,” he says. “If you simplified it and did [just] paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans, but increased the recycling rate for those materials, that would be a great start.” Ready to go a step further and really green your routine? We spoke to Bell, as well as Brett Stevens, Terracycle‘s Global VP, Material Sales & Procurement, and the press office for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to get the honest answers to some of the most asked-questions about recycling. (We asked for general guidelines that apply to much of the United States, but it’s important to check with your local municipality for any specific guidelines or restrictions; check recycleoftenandrecycleright.com or earth911.comto get started.)

Can you recycle boxes with tape or labels on them?

Short answer: It’s not mandatory to remove the tape, but if you can, you should. Many of us throw Amazon boxes in the recycling without a second thought – but is the packing tape creating a problem when it gets to a recycling plant? “One great way to help ensure materials are recycled is to remove any potentially non-recyclable materials, like plastic tape and labels from boxes,” says the EPA. “Many types of boxes are recyclable, but if it’s difficult to separate the different material types, the chances that it will be recycled are greatly reduced.” Bell advises breaking boxes down just to save space in bins and encourage more cardboard recycling, and while he advises removing tape, he says it generally can still be processed: “We’d much rather get tape on a cardboard box than we would a slice of pizza.”

Can you recycle plastic food clamshells, like the ones berries and spinach come in?

Short answer: Usually not, but check your local specifications and remove labels and stickers. “Food clamshells come in a variety of different material formats,” such as Styrofoam, “biodegradable” PLA plastic and more, says Terracycle’s Stevens. “The clear PET version can be put into your curbside bin only if it doesn’t have stickers and labels on it. The others cannot go into curbside recycling bins.” Adds Bell, “Most programs don’t allow for food containers [like takeout dishes or tomato packaging] because those are both overall what we would classify as ‘hard to recycle’ material … The food becomes problematic with just the residue left over that could cause contamination with good recycling materials that are in that same bin.” Short answer: Yes, recycle away! Even though the bottle and its cap are made out of two different kinds of plastic, “It is perfectly fine to leave plastic caps on your plastic bottles, as modern sorting facilities have the equipment needed to sort this material out of the stream and into its own supply chain,” advises Stevens. The EPA recommends separating the bottle from the cap to expedite the process, as long as you know your local recycling agency can process the loose caps safely.

Recycling is so much more than tossing out your empty kombucha bottle and separating your plastics from your paper products. And even if those things have become second nature in your regular routine, there are things we often overlook in the recycling process — like our makeup.   It's easy to rack up on loads of compacts, lipstick tubes, and foundation bottles, only to toss them in the trash when you're done. But more brands are trying to make your beauty routine more eco-conscious. For example, Seed Phytonutrients offers shower-friendly hair products made from recyclable material. Brands like Le Labo and L'Occitane offer refillable services at discounted prices, so customers can re-up on product without extra waste. And companies like TerraCycle work with beauty brands, like Garnier and Burt's Bees, to help recycle empty packages.   MAC Cosmetics also gives customers rewards for recycling. When you return six completely used containers to the MAC counter, you can walk away with free makeup. "Because we share your commitment to the environment, customers returning to a MAC counter or MAC Cosmetics online, you can receive a free MAC Cosmetics lipstick, or, lipgloss, or eyeshadow if you're part of the MAC Lovers program," a representative for the brand tells Refinery29. Qualified containers include blush compacts, eyeshadow pots, foundation bottles, lipstick tubes, and more. And once the products are returned to MAC through this program, they get recycled by the retailer.   So, instead of tossing that taupe shadow you just hit pan on or the Ruby Woo you've smeared to the last drop, save your empty tins. You'll be cutting back on the staggering cosmetic waste problem (have you heard of "dumpster diving"?), saving money on your next MAC purchase, and you'll be minimizing your carbon footprint.

Today is National Earth Day! What a remarkable place we get to call home, but with so many challenges facing our big, beautiful planet, we need to do our part to protect it. Here at Yorkdale we are committed to sustainability through our recycling program, green rooftop, solar panels, bee adoption program and many other initiatives to try to reduce our footprint. 

Tweed x TerraCycle Launched a Canada-Wide Recycling Program

Canada's first country-wide Cannabis Packaging Recycling Program is launching thanks to cannabis brand Tweed and TerraCycle, a company that works with hard-to-recycle materials. While the recycling program has been available to consumers in select stores and provinces prior to this point, this initiative is now rolling out across Canada. To divert a variety of cannabis product packaging from landfills, the recycling program will allow for the many containers, tubes and packages from this legal new industry to be collected and potentially even upcycled into other products. The Tweed x TerraCycle Cannabis Packaging Recycling Program accepts all cannabis containers from all licensed producers like tins, plastic bags, tubes and even items like bottles with child-proof caps, which are ordinarily tough to recycle. On its drop-off boxes, Tweed makes a note about cannabis packaging, clarifying that it "Doesn't matter if you got it from another brand, we happily recycle it all."

Everyone has them: dead pens and markers lying in the bottom of your desk drawer like a sad literary graveyard.   And as a writer, I've got more than my fair share of used writing instruments. I didn’t know what to do with them, until now.   The REAL Deal Reuse Store allows you to drop off your used pens and pen caps, mechanical pencils, markers and marker caps, permanent markets and permanent market caps, highlighters and highlighter caps. REAL then delivers them to Staples, which runs a recycling program out of their store in partnership with waste management company, TerraCycle.   The two companies have partnered up in an effort to provide a second life for used writing instruments. Once collected, they're separated by material composition and then are cleaned, shredded, and made into new recycled products. Through the in-store collections across Canada, over two million writing instruments have been diverted from landfills.     Looking for ways to recycle household waste that isn't available through recycling programs offered through our municipalities has become really important to me. Lately, I've become more and more critical of things I'm throwing in the trash. Before, I wouldn't have thought twice about tossing another dead pen in the garbage.   Now, I've got an alternative. Although the pen recycling program isn't run by REAL, president Barb Hicks, said offering to collect the items at the reuse store, an effort that started last fall, helps make recycling the items more accessible for everyone.   Hicks said it's a small thing, but recycling them instead of throwing them out can make a difference.   I've now got a box for people in our newsroom to put their dead pens in. I've committed to disposing of them through this recycling program. It'll be interesting how many pens, pencils, highlighters and markers we can divert from the landfill over the next couple of years.   To find out more about products REAL can help you recycle, visit: https://www.realaction.ca/.

From sustainably-sourced ingredients to carbon neutral initiatives, these brands are helping offset their environmental impact.

   

Weleda

Each year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans, and according to a 2017 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, only 9 percent of plastic actually ends up being recycled.   To make it easier for consumers, Weleda has partnered with TerraCycle on a free recycling program for their Skin Food line. “Preserving the balance between what we take from nature with what we give back is our core value,” says Rob Keen, CEO of Weleda North America, via press release. “This respect for nature is in our DNA and it guides everything we do – from our innovative biodynamic farming practices that actually pull carbon out of the atmosphere, to our manufacturing facilities in France, Germany and Switzerland that use energy from 100% renewable sources. We also employ thoughtful ingredient sourcing and ethical partnerships that protect the life energy and potency of our products. Now we are teaming up with TerraCycle to ensure that our recently launched Skin Food packaging has every opportunity to be recycled.”   TerraCycle will collect empty packaging from the Skin Food line of products where it’s then cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded into new recycled products. Full details about how to participate can be found at terracycle.ca.

In two hours before the rain could return Saturday afternoon, Waste Watcher volunteers had gathered 5,540 pieces of trash, 1,066 cigarette butts and three syringes from Owen Sound's east shoreline. And yes, they counted them. Styrofoam, broken glass, food wrappers, coffee cups, beverage bottles and cans as well as pieces of clothing and unidentified plastic made up most of the trash. Large items like eavestroughing, a plastic chair and a piece of a toilet were carried back to the dumpster (thank you Miller Waste) on a bike trailer (thanks Bikeface!) Some tires and rusted metal barrels were buried too deep in the frozen shoreline to be removed. City councillor Carol Mertonwas filling her third canvas bag when she said “I had no idea there was this much garbage here.” She carefully removed two of the syringes, and we spoke about safe sharps disposal in the city. She and councillor Scott Greig attended the "Talking Trash" social after the pick-up to learn what more we can do about our waste. In the social following the pick-up, Rochelle Byrne of A Greener Future said that in some communities syringes, condoms, and tampon applicators are not thown away where they were found, but have been flushed down toilets and then entered the water in a sewage bypass at the treatment plant during a heavy rain. Byrne said styrofoam breaks off docks and bouys, and even properly disposed of waste can be blown around or picked out of receptacles by birds and animals. Reducing the use of non-degradable and single-use materials is the primary goal. Recycling has high energy and resource costs. The higher the number in the triangle (and usually darker the colour) on a recyclable material, the more difficult and energy consuming it is to recycle, and often the smaller the market for the end product. "Recycling is a for-profit business," she said. "Just because you put it in your blue box doesn't mean it will not end up in landfill." Byrne participates in trash pick-ups all along the Lake Ontario shoreline. She is currently working on the “Butt Blitz”, an annual Spring event that aims to remove as much cigarette butt litter as possible from the environment. Volunteers pick up the non-degradable cigarette butts locally and they’re sent to TerraCycle Canada for recycling. Yes, recycling! - into plastic benches and industrial pallets. It is not about smoker-shaming, " Byrne says, "It's about keeping this material out of our water and wildlife."  Access to public disposal containers, she said, helps smokers change their habits and dispose of their butts responsibly. Byrne and her husband Mike had spent the morning at the Owen Sound Farmers' Market, selling reusable and low-waste items from produce bags to bamboo cutlery and toothbrushes, and speaking to local residents about small changes that can have a big impact on our waste stream. Saturday's pick-up coordinator, St. Mary’s Grade 12 student Meredith MacFarlane was encouraged by the efforts of the group. “It was a pretty wet day, but that motivated us to get the trash off the ground before it can make its way into our harbour. I just wish everyone would realize they are contributing to the decline in water quality and marine life when they casually toss a cigarette butt, candy wrapper or plastic coffee lid on the ground.” Meredith and Owen Sound Waste Watcher Facilitator Laura Wood hope to present the findings of the day to Owen Sound City Council within a month and urge immediate action to reduce single-use plastic and improve awareness of the problem. “Our planet has limited resources and we need to learn how to use these resources wisely. We look forward to more events like this in the days ahead,” says Wood.

Mayors are being challenged in competition for the biggest haul of butts     A Beamsville-based group of volunteers united by their goal to decrease Niagara’s environmental footprint is asking for the public’s help.   The Eco-Defenders are hosting Lincoln’s annual Butt Blitz on Saturday, April 27, where participants will spend roughly four hours picking up cigarette butts.   Last year’s blitz collected over 17,000 butts from Grimsby and Lincoln alone, and over 239,000 from across Canada.   New this year, the group is unveiling the Mayors’ Biggest Butts Competition, where the mayor of the municipality with the most butts collected will win a trophy.   “It is our intention that this could become an annual competition and the trophy would get passed around to the winners,” co-ordinator Jane Gadsby said in her letter to the mayors.   Every littered butt retrieved will be sent to TerraCycle, where it will be turned into plastic and used to make products like shipping pallets. Tobacco will also be separated and sent out to be composted.   Anybody wishing to support the effort can do so by notifying the group in advance of especially littered areas, can volunteer to join the cleanup or can donate prizes for volunteers of all ages.   Lincoln Butt Blitz volunteers will meet at the Fleming Centre, in Beamsville, at 10 a.m. and will clean until roughly 2 p.m. For more information, visit the groups Facebook page.  

While I think we should treat every day like it’s Earth Day, the official day to celebrate our planet is April 22. Here’s how I share my love for Mama Earth with my little one, Vienna, and ways that you can too! Read on for my best planet-friendly tips.

8 planet friendly tips for green parents

1. go plastic free.

I’m making a concerted effort to curb my family’s plastic use, and you can too. It always amazes me how these simple changes can make such a big difference. • Start packing your lunches and leftovers in food storage containers made of lightweight steel, bamboo, ceramic, glass or silicone instead of plastic (especially single-use plastics). • Bring your own water bottles and tumblers when you’re on the go to avoid using a single-use cup. This may mean being a bit more prepared, but it’s worth it. • Say “no” to plastic straws for cold drinks. • Bring your own bags to the supermarket and farmers’ markets. Don’t forget to bring bags for the produce and bulk section, too.

2. reuse and recycle.

• When purchasing packaged foods, be informed about what’s recyclable and what’s not. My daughter, Vienna, loves Love Child Organics’ purees, and we love knowing that the product we are purchasing can be recycled through TerraCycle. You can read more about Terracycle here. • At home, we also like to reuse glass bottles and jars for food storage.

3. use recycled materials for arts and crafts.

There are a million ways to create with boxes, cardboard tubes and egg cartons. Help repurpose “waste,” and even encourage your kids’ schools to do the same!

4. eliminate food waste by using whole foods

When I roast a chicken, for example, I’ll use up the leftover bones to make a delicious and nourishing broth. Or when I make juice, I’ll use the leftover pulp in a smoothie or freeze it and use it later. In situations where you don’t use the whole food (non-edible peels or leftover tea leaves, for example), make sure to compost!

5. make your own cleaning products.

Discover the magic of essential oils, baking soda, and lemon to create eco- and child-friendly all-purpose cleaning solutions. Chemicals used in conventional products can be harmful to our environment and ultimately come back to us through our drinking water and the food we eat. There’s a reason you see a skull and crossbones on many household cleaning supplies sold at the hardware or grocery store.

6. whenever possible, walk or cycle instead of driving.

We walk Vienna to and from school every day, and try to do most of our errands on foot. It’s a great way to spend quality time together and we always feel energized being outside. This leads me to my next point…

7. spend time outside (yes, even in the wintertime).

Going outside teaches kids to appreciate and love nature. Research shows the incredible benefits of spending time outdoors, including increasing the feel-good serotonin in our brains, alleviating stress and depression and boosting our energy!

8. shop second hand, and donate your gently worn clothing.

One of the bittersweet signs that your kid is getting bigger is seeing how quickly they outgrow their clothes. Babies and toddlers especially seem to need a new wardrobe every few months. Unfortunately, the stats on clothing waste are staggering: Canada itself contributes 12 million tons a year of textile waste dumped into North America’s landfills! Keep clothes out of the landfill by donating, selling or swapping gently used items, and buying from secondhand shops. Above all, remember that caring for Mama Earth doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Simply going to the park or enjoying a meal loaded with seasonal veggies is an amazing way to show your love for the planet!   Joy McCarthy is the Founder of Joyous Health, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and best-selling author. A trusted nutrition expert, Joy has been featured in hundreds of publications both online and in print; and is a regular health expert on TV. Through her innate drive to inspire others, Joy has created numerous online programs and eBooks under JOYOUS U and is a faculty member at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. Joy lives in Toronto with her husband Walker and their daughter Vienna

    Natural is no longer enough; you need beauty products that are sustainable. We scoured the globe for new ways to green your hair, skin, and makeup routine. Here, the eco-friendly innovations we're most excited about.  

Skincare Treasures From Trash

  In France, the prune d’Ente is as coveted as foie gras, but the pits of the famous dried plums are routinely discarded in the manufacturing process. Enter Tina Hedges, the Jamaican-born founder of LOLI Beauty skincare. “When we started the brand, one of my priorities was to find powerful skincare ingredients that could be repurposed from organic-food-supply waste,” she says. One of her success stories: LOLI’s Plum Elixir, which features the cold-pressed oil of the Ente plum pit; it’s a luxurious, antioxidant-rich moisturizer-from what used to end up in the garbage.  

A Greener Space to Shop

  In the Venn diagram of places beauty enthusiasts shop and places the sustainability crowd frequents, there wasn’t much overlap-until New York City’s Hudson Yards opened this spring. At the heart of the multibuilding complex is a cogeneration plant that recovers wasted heat to make the buildings 70 percent more energy efficient. Plus, nearly 10 million gallons of storm water a year will be collected from building roofs and public plazas to be filtered and reused. This green hub is also a chic shopping destination with beauty stores like Sephora, Kiehl’s, and the Body Shop. There’s even a vegan nail salon, Sundays, where you can slip on headphones and do a guided meditation while you get your manicure. Retail therapy just took on a whole new meaning.    

The New Oil That Saves Trees

  Creating chemical alternatives to plants may seem counterintuitive to the cause, but it’s often the most environmentally responsible option. Green startup C16 Biosciences has developed a lab-grown alternative to palm oil, a popular beauty-product ingredient that often comes from plantations that contribute to deforestation in places like Costa Rica and Indonesia. The biotech firm is relatively new, but representatives say they’re already working with a confidential group of cosmetic companies to replace the palm oil in their products. Green moral of the story: Sometimes saving the planet starts in the lab.  

Shampoo Bottles That Save Beaches

  Tidying up the earth’s coasts can be a dirty job: Environmental-advocacy nonprofit Ocean Conservancy claims it has collected more than 250 million pounds of beach pollution in the past 33 years. Now Herbal Essences is assisting with the task and putting the conservationists’ earth-conscious efforts to good use. In collaboration with TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling hard-to-repurpose materials, the brand has created new bottles-for its White Grapefruit & Mosa Mint, Argan Oil, and Coconut Milk collections-made with 25 percent plastic that has been collected from the coastlines in Canada, Panama, and other polluted spots around the world.  

Creamy Colors That Power Flowers

  Danish makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis is known for her elegant, stunningly packaged line of cosmetics. She’s also an innovator who finds sustainability in the most uncommon places. Case in point: The beeswax in her velvety lipsticks and dewy blushes helps preserve a delicate ecosystem. The brand buys wax from Italian beekeepers, who cart their tiny charges to mountains on the border of France and Italy every summer to gather their nectar in biodynamic flower fields. The bees help pollinate the flowers, and the location ensures they aren’t exposed to any pesticides. Come winter, the harvest of the hives is used to create the rich, ultrapure wax that goes into those dreamy makeup compacts.  

Serums And Cleansers Made Without Water

  The new brand PWDR practices what founder Carrington Snyder calls BYOW, or bring your own water. “If you take water out of a skincare formula, you can take out a whole range of preservatives and emulsifiers, which often come from synthetic sources,” explains the California-based entrepreneur. “And many of those types of ingredients that aren’t good for you aren’t good for the earth either.” Another ecobonus? Powders are lighter than liquids, which cuts down on shipping weight, so less energy is used to transport them. The standout is a sophisticated serum made with concentrated extracts of hyaluronic acid, B vitamins, peptides, and floral extracts; just add water and it transforms into a silky emulsion in seconds.  

Products With Zero Packaging

  Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics bypasses the dilemma of packaging that contributes to landfill waste by selling “naked” skincare. After opening a packaging-free concept store in Milan last year, the company, which was founded in the United Kingdom, realized it was on to something and developed a collection of solid face oils, cleansers, masks, and moisturizers that are sold worldwide-without boxes or bottles.  

Carbon-Neutral Makeup From Vegetables

  Growing up in Mexico with a grandfather who was a medicine man and a mother who turned plants into makeup, Ere Perez was destined to start a holistic beauty line. And after she moved to Australia, that’s exactly what she did, creating a collection of botanical skincare and cosmetics that features all-natural colorants like beetroot and carrot extract. Her company also offsets all the greenhouse-gas emissions produced during its manufacturing process by purchasing credits to fund carbon-neutral energy initiatives. How’s this for a full-circle story: One project her company helps fund is a wind-energy farm in her native country.  

Recycled Bottles That Build Gardens

  You can’t guarantee the plastics you put in your recycling bin actually get recycled. (Some bottles, for example, are rejected by community processing plants if the labels aren’t easily removed.) But Garnier has a solution: Four years ago, it launched a program encouraging consumers to send their bathroom empties to TerraCycle to be cleaned, shredded, and ground into pellets that are turned into building materials. Now Garnier is using the 11 million bottles collected thus far to build garden beds, benches, signs, and trash bins for community gardens. The first green oasis opened in Miami this year, with more coming soon.  

Sheet Masks That Disappear

  Pick a more earth-friendly sheet mask and your self-care Sunday doesn’t have to be selfish. One option: the Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Concentrate Sheet Mask, which features babassu oil from Brazil. The mask is not just biodegradable but compostable too. Let it work its smoothing and plumping magic for 15 minutes, peel it off, then toss the sheet in your compost bin. Even if you use the bin at an organic community garden, you’re still good: The mask has been rigorously tested to ensure it disintegrates without leaving any trace metals or toxins that could affect plants or water.  

Wildcrafted Skincare

  There’s something romantic about the concept of products made from wild-grown and carefully harvested ingredients. And sustainable sourcing can lead to more potent ingredients too: Because wild plants have to fend off pests and survive in extreme climates without the help of pesticides or fertilizers, they may be richer in protective antioxidants than commercially grown versions. Alpyn Beauty uses a complex made with plants from the mountains of Wyoming to create its skin-brightening Plant Genius Survival Serum. And Shea Terra Organics puts tamanu nuts from Madagascar’s Vohibola Forest in its antiaging, skin-healing Tamanu Beauty Oil. Considering that commercial farming is responsible for 70 percent of the water used in the world, these products are truly a low-impact way to glow.