Reduce waste, build healthier communities

October 17, 2024
By Marco Campana, Knowledge Mobilization and Social Action Coordinator, Access Alliance

Our Green Access program promotes environmental awareness and connects community health, capacity building, food sustainability and urban agriculture. Through our AccessPoint on Danforth rooftop garden, Green Access Program, and Scarborough Cycles we strengthen health outcomes in the communities we serve, building knowledge and skills around food growing, waste reduction and our role as stewards of the living world.

October is Circular Economy Month in Canada. What is the Circular Economy, you wonder? According to the Circular Innovation Council: “A circular economy is a new way of looking at how we make and use things. It minimizes waste and makes the most of the earth’s resources, like wood from trees or minerals from the ground. In an economy where we make products that last longer, that can be fixed, reused again and again, and deconstructed into their original parts, we move away from a linear economy (take-make-waste) towards a more affordable, less cluttered, more biodiverse world with tight-knit communities that support each other.”

We’re all about tight-knit communities and re-imagining how we can use healthcare, settlement, and civic engagement to create healthy, thriving, resilient communities.

Our work is connected to Circular Economy Month. And this week is Waste Reduction Week.  We’d like to share how some of our work connects with this week’s theme. Below we have some ideas of how you can take action to support a circular economy. We also have information about how to join our waste reduction programs.

Take action, we can help

Our ReThink Waste booklet has practical information and advice for all to reduce our impact on the environment. Have a read. Learn some simple steps you can take in your daily life to reduce waste.

Use the booklet to test your knowledge of waste in Canada. You might be surprised to hear how little plastic actually gets recycled! 67% of Ontario’s recycled plastic actually ends up in a garbage landfill. A majority of the world’s plastic pollution comes from single-use products. Bottles, cups, and straws are all common examples. You can identify products you use and see if you can swap them with reusable replacements.

Our Green Access Program has activities and events to help. Learn practical tips to grow your own food, can, pickle, and preserve food. It’s great for reducing waste, and fun too!

We’re doing our part to reduce food waste. At AccessPoint on Danforth we have three composting systems so food is not wasted on site.  All food not eaten is cycled back into the compost systems and used to grow more food.

Want to bring a workshop on environmental awareness, stewardship, or healthy living to your organization in Toronto? Connect with our Enviroleaders. Two of our Enviroleaders are running workshops focused on waste reduction: Aiuna makes sub-irrigated planters using plastic bottles and Jean focuses on reducing food waste (including practical tips for organizations and individuals to end food waste and save money!).

Community members joined us at AccessPoint Danforth recently to“ReThink Waste.” Jean and Aiuna facilitated two workshops: ending food waste; and creating upcycled self watering planters using plastic bottles. Participants engaged in hands-on learning, skill development focused on the need for waste reduction. They learned more about how waste affects their lives, from their grocery budget to our shared waterways and landfills. 

We take action

Taking action on waste reduction isn’t new for us. Our Green Access Program staff work with volunteers and participants to make every event waste-free. It can also make for a fun community project. One of our staff noticed how many single-use plastics were being used and wasted in a program she helped run. In Summer 2024 she reached out to her community and neighbours to collect reusable water bottles. In the end she collected over 160 bottles that were distributed to program participants. It may make a small dent in waste, but small steps are important!

Our Food Literacy and Food Insecurity programs help with access to food for those who need it. We also have programs to help you increase your nutrition knowledge, cooking skills, and confidence to make decisions about food and health in order to change health habits.

Some of the programs you can access include:

• One-on-one counselling with a dietitian
• Newcomers Cooking Together
• Nutrition education workshops
• Nutrition resources

To help you take action to reduce food waste, we’ve even got some cookbooks created by our dietitians and program participants! Try Fast and Easy Recipes or Newcomers Cooking Together for some great meal ideas!

Go beyond the 3 Rs

You might be familiar with the three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle. But there is much more we can do, such as rescue and reshare, refuse single-use plastics, and repair and repurpose what we already own.

Own a bike?

Our Scarborough Cycles do-it-yourself drop-in bike repair sessions can help teach you to fix and maintain your bike! With help and support from our staff you’ll be keeping your bike in top shape in no time!

We also welcome donations of unused bicycles, parts, and tools. Our team of staff and volunteers will refurbish them, and get them back into the community.

These are a few of the ways we work to help reduce waste in our community. Join us at one of our events or programs to learn even more!