October is Circular Economy Month in Canada! A circular economy promotes minimizing waste and maximizing resource reuse. This year’s theme is safe battery disposal. During Circular Economy Month in October, you’ll have a chance to win up to $5,000 through Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! Find contest details and drop-off locations near you by visiting www.recycleyourbatteries.ca.

Batteries can be recycled using the special Circular Economy Month battery disposal boxes found at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility, Oxford County Administration Building, and other locations in and around the County. By recycling batteries, you play a crucial role in the circular economy, allowing producers to reuse the precious metals in batteries to make new products. 

Waste Reduction Week (Oct 21 – 27)

Waste Reduction Week is one of the key themes of Circular Economy Month in Canada. Waste Reduction Week helps educate residents on the importance of waste reduction. Diverting waste means less garbage in our landfills and helps to conserve precious landfill space. The more waste we produce, the more landfill space we need. Each day in Waste Reduction Week has a theme with statistics and suggestions from Circular Economy Month Canada.

Repair Monday (International Repair Day) – Repairing broken items, like electronics or appliances, is a great way to save money, learn new skills and prevent bulky items from taking up space at the landfill.

Textile Tuesday - Did you know that Canadians throw away nearly 500 million kilograms of textiles (clothing or fabric) every year? Most of the clothing and fabric taking up space in our landfills could have been donated, recycled or repurposed. Diabetes Canada has several donation bins in Oxford County where you can support diabetes research and help divert items from the landfill by donating clothing and textiles, small household items and books. Find a donation bin near you at declutterfordiabetes.ca. Textiles can also be recycled at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility at 384060 Salford Road in Salford. Find a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials for textile recycling at www.wasteline.ca by selecting Special Recycling.

E-Waste Wednesday - Over time, old electronics can leak toxic elements like mercury and lead, which can be harmful to humans and the environment when not recycled properly. Batteries contain chemical and metal components that can endanger collection staff, have the potential to start fires if set out at the curb and harm the environment if disposed of improperly. In Oxford County, you can safely dispose of e-waste at the electronic waste depot at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility at 384060 Salford Road in Salford. Woodstock residents can also dispose of e-waste at the City of Woodstock EnviroDepot located at 944 James Street. You can also donate your old mobile phone through CNIB’s Phone It Forward website at phoneitforward.ca to be repurposed for people with sight loss who need them.

Plastics Thursday – Plastics are winding up in our oceans at an alarming rate. Scientists predict that by 2050, the oceans will have more plastics than fish, by weight. Nearly half of plastics produced are for packaging, used once, and then thrown away. Plastics Thursday highlights ways we can work together to reduce the use and waste of plastics with a circular economy.

Oxford County started a Film Plastic Recycling Program in 2020 at four depot locations: Waste Management Facility, Tillsonburg Transfer Station, Beachville Fire Hall and the Woodstock EnviroDepot. Residents can drop off film plastic at any of the above locations free of charge. Another way the County is looking to divert plastics from the landfill is through the Agricultural Plastics Diversion Pilot Project.

For a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable materials for the Film Plastic Recycling Program and Agricultural Plastics Pilot Project and more information on all of the diversion programs offered by the County, head to the Special Recycling page at www.wasteline.ca.

Food Waste Friday – Food Waste Friday encourages everyone to take the pledge and commit to reducing food waste. You can take action and reduce your waste by:

• Planning meals and making a grocery list
• Storing fruits and vegetables properly so they last longer
• Getting creative with leftovers
• Thinking about expiry dates
• Compost leftover organics

Sharing Saturday – Sharing Saturday promotes a sharing economy to help reduce waste and prevent items from taking up space at the landfill. Canadians participate in a Sharing Economy without even realizing it through ride-sharing apps, libraries, rental services and more.

Swap Sunday – Yard sales, buy-and-sell groups online, flea markets, and community clothing and item swaps are all great ways you can reuse, recycle and prevent items from entering the landfill. You may not realize it, but when you sell your items in a buy-and-sell group or host your own yard sale, you are participating in a Circular Economy.

Great Pumpkin Rescue

Not sure what to do with the pumpkins, squash and gourds sitting on your porch after Hallowe’en?

Why not rescue them? Zero Waste Oxford supports the Great Pumpkin Rescue every year in Oxford County. The Great Pumpkin Rescue is where leftover pumpkins, squash and gourds are given a second life and diverted from the landfill to be repurposed into community meals and feed for livestock.

Drop off your pumpkins at any of the following locations between November 1-6:

• Bettina Wilde’s, 489 Concession Road 3, Princeton. N0J 1V0

• Breezy Lane Farm, 806090 Oxford Road 29, Innerkip, ON N0J IMO
• Good Nature Eco Farm, 135148 13th Line, Thamesford N0M 2M0
• Kiwanis’ Community Garden, 108 Wonham Street South, Ingersoll, N5C 3V2
• Lara Martin-Dow and Stephen Dow, Rolling Stone Boers, 375158 37th Line Zorra Township
• Little Hobby Hill Farm, 333624 Plank Line, Salford ON N0J1W0
• Little Fields Farm, 867207 Township Rd 10, Bright, ON N0J 1B0
• Matt McCutchen and Sam Boyse’ Northlane Farm 662742 Road 66 (Banner Road) Thamesford, ON N0M 2M0
• Milky Way Farm (Meaghan Brandenburg) 484872 Sweaburg Rd, Woodstock, ON N4S 7V
• The Smith’s 70 Glenn Avenue, Sweaburg, South-West Oxford, ON N4S 7V6
• Tillsonburg Transfer Station, 50 Newell Rd, Tillsonburg, ON N0J 1H0
• Travis Palen's Farm 345548 Quacker St, Norwich, ON N0J 1P0