April 2 2012

Overview of results

Canadian households generated 383kg per capita of solid waste in 2002 which was 39 percent of the total solid waste produced by the country (Statistics Canada). 

In the one week that I recorded our solid waste output, we produced 14.99 kg. This would amount to an annual output of 779.48kg. This amount is nearly double the national average. There are some explanations for this high output. There are six individuals living in this residence whereas the average Canadian  household has three members (Statistics Canada). This would denote that our output was on par with national averages. Furthermore, we frequently have guests.

The percentages of solid waste types produced by households in Canada are as follows:

Organics 40%

Paper 26%

Plastic 9%

Glass 3%

Metal 4%

Other 18% (includes wood, textiles, rubber etc)

Our percentages of solid waste type output for the week were as follows:
Organics (food): 52%
Paper: 16%
Plastic: 12%
Glass: 6%
Metal: 7%
Other: 7%

Our output of organic waste was much higher than the national average, whereas our use of paper was significantly below the average.

I feel that the amount of organic waste which we are producing could be reduced by cooking smaller portions of food, or freezing leftovers so that we are not throwing away so much food. Also, shopping for perishables on a semi weekly basis would prevent produce and meats from going bad before they could be eaten. Although our paper consumption was lower than the national average, it could be further reduced by switching from the use of paper towels to cloth rags for cleaning and napkin use.

The Wet/Dry system of separation should prevent any organic waste from entering the blue (dry) bag. However, there was organic waste in our blue bag almost daily. More education on the Wet/Dry system could benefit Westmorland/Albert residents and improve sorting attempts. Stricter penalties for violating the Wet/Dry policy could also be beneficial.