Brandon Celebrates Waste Reduction Week Oct.20 To Oct.26


October 20, 2014

Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon is, once again, joining environmentally progressive communities across Canada in celebrating National Waste Reduction Week (WRW), recognized this year from Oct. 20th – 26th. National Waste Reduction Week’s “take action” message calls on all Canadians to adopt more environmentally-conscious choices, focusing on simple initiatives like reducing the amount of environmental waste produced in their daily lives.

As part of its continuing efforts to engage and empower Brandon’s young citizens to reduce, reuse and recycle, the City of Brandon’s Environmental Initiatives Section is currently running its 4th annual Waste Reduction School Challenge in 15 classrooms across the Brandon School Division.

During the challenge, students will collect their classroom recycling, learn about composting, and take part in waste reduction activities to earn points towards the challenge. Among the waste-reducing initiatives students are undertaking as part of the challenge are cleaning their playgrounds, making art projects from recycled items, having litter-less lunches and learning about water conservation. This year, students will also be taken on a tour of the Eastview Landfill so they can see exactly where their garbage and recycling ends up. And of course, the winning classrooms receive prizes and bragging rights. All students are also entered into a grand prize draw of a new bike from A & L Get Active.

The City of Brandon is also supporting students at Green Acres, George Fitton, Earl Oxford, Valleyview, Waverly and Riverheights Schools, who are participating in the “Manitoba Bag-Up Challenge”. To help support the students in their efforts, the general public can drop off their excess single-use grocery bags at any of the above noted schools until the end of October. The bags will then be shipped to a company based in the United States to be recycled in to park benches and other furniture.

Generous sponsors for this year’s Waste Reduction School Challenge and the “Manitoba Bag-Up Challenge” is Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba.

For more information about Waste Reduction Week in Brandon, visit www.brandonenvironment.ca.