Greater Sudbury residents have been doing their part to preserve valuable landfill space and protect the environment.
A record 11,275 tonnes of recyclables were diverted from local landfills in 2001 - a 14 per cent increase over the previous year's total of 9,895 tonnes.
"We've been working very hard to heighten public awareness of the importance of recycling and we've been rewarded each year," said Greater Sudbury Mayor Jim Gordon. "We commend citizens for their co-operation to set this recycling record, and we encourage everyone to redouble their efforts to make Greater Sudbury a model for community participation in waste diversion."
A number of initiatives have been introduced over the past year to reduce residential waste. Last May, the city implemented a four household garbage bag/container limit. On Jan. 1, the limit was reduced to three.
To help citizens meet the household waste limit, the city offers a leaf and yard trimmings collection service. Leaf and yard trimmings are collected twice a year, in the spring and the fall, and brought to composting pads at area landfill sites.
"The leaf and yard trimmings collection services has been a great success," said Melissa Bresnahan, co-ordinator of waste diversion for the City of Greater Sudbury.
"In the spring and fall of 2001, over 466 tonnes of leaf and yard trimmings were diverted from local landfills. That's good news for the environment and good news for ratepayers. Landfills are costly to operate."
The city also extended its recycling program last year to over 200 high density residential units, including apartments, townhouses and mobile home parks. Greater Sudbury's Blue Box recycling program has been in existence for the past 10 years.
"Each year we see an increase in the number of people participating in the Blue Box program," said Bresnahan. "Our goal is to help every citizen participate fully in our recycling efforts."
A flyer was recently distributed to Greater Sudbury households providing dates for the upcoming spring and fall leaf and yard trimmings collection service, details about the proper disposal of hazardous waste, and tips for recycling and home composting.
For more information, citizens can call Greater Sudbury's Waste Hotline at 673-BLUE, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
