Strategic Goal no.1 – Waste & Recycling
TREA members are interested in all aspects of waste diversion, ranging from composting to the 3Rs – reduce, recycle and reuse.
Specific waste accomplishments in TREA’s past include spearheading London’s curbside recycling bin program in the 80’s, promoting residential composting, a Master Composter program and a phone Rot-Line, and advocacy to extend the lifespan of the landfill by encouraging more waste reduction strategies and community education.
TREA offers a Composting 101 insert (both print and online), an outdoor compost demonstration site of composting options and workshops on composting/healthy soils based on inquiry. TREA has a new elementary school online waste reduction curriculum module underway as well as an earlier consumerism module, and gives ongoing support to its Greening of the Festivals program TREA helped initiate in 2008 with Home County Folk Festival and the City, a zero waste diversion plan for the public and vendors use. Festivals and events held at Victoria Park and smaller parks are provided with community resources to reduce waste to provide composting, recycling and reusing. TREA continues to help when needed at various events with waste and volunteer management.
Every year TREA does a park clean up on Clean and Green Day. It also helps deliver Compost Day (every May), a yearly fundraiser for TREA, the Food Bank, Boys and Girls Club, and London Community Resource Centre. TREA members actively follow public policy, education and innovation on all levels to keep current on best practices for waste diversion strategies, for example – food packaging and reduction of plastics.
Over the last couple of years, TREA facilitated waste reduction door-to-door visits with surveys and tips in neighbourhoods, and delivered Environment 101 workshops with newcomers. TREA is a co-chair in planning we hope for London’s first Zero Waste Festival in June 2021. TREA is also pleased to be a champion for a London Tool Library of Things over the last year with Reimagine Co to be situated at Reimagine’s new waste-free grocery store in 2021. TREA traditionally does outreach at many community special events but has been increasing its social media reach given the constraints of Covid-19.