The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Conservation Minister Steve Ashton yesterday encouraged Manitobans to increase their recycling and waste reduction efforts and announced over $283,000 in Waste Reduction And Pollution Prevention (WRAPP) grants as he proclaimed Waste Reduction Week in Manitoba Oct. 20 to 26. "It is important that individuals, businesses and communities continue efforts to send less material to landfills," said Ashton. "From the sturdy blue boxes and bins to more creative and scientific approaches to waste reduction, we must continue the effort." Ashton also released a report on a $240,000 pilot electronics recycling project organized by the non-profit charitable group the Thomas Sill Foundation and supported with a $50,000 grant from the province's Sustainable Development Innovations Fund (SDIF). The pilot project set up depots over a weekend in October 2002 and processed 93.5 tonnes of consumer electronic waste. The Electronic Product Stewardship Organization of Manitoba (EPSOM) was able to recycle or find uses for most of the electronics. "This is an example of a highly successful partnership of non-profit, government and private organizations," said Ashton. "It is estimated that Manitobans will be tossing away more than 5,000 tonnes of waste electronics by the year 2005. It is important that we find ways to keep these products out of our landfills and out of our environment. This report provides valuable information for the long-term management of e-waste."
