Parents Gearing Up for Toronto's First Zero Waste Fair

Parents Gearing Up for Toronto’s First Zero Waste Fair

If you have baby or a young child, you’ll know that they come with a lot of stuff. From playmats to building blocks, your home will be awash with them for at least the first few years of their life. But then what happens to it all? It gets put away in the garage or the attic, or even worse, it gets thrown away and ends up in landfill.

But parents in Toronto who are concerned about the impact this will have on the planet can find solutions to the problem at the city’s first ever Zero Waste Fair next week.

Organisers say there has been a growing interest in waste reduction over the past year, thanks to the power of social media and coverage of the harm that waste, especially plastic, is causing our planet in the newspapers.

Local companies introduce waste reduction initiatives

Red Propeller, a Toronto recycling company are going to be at the fair, and they say they have introduced initiatives like a baby car seat recycling programme which is the only one in Ontario. The company say that car seats are a particular problem when it comes to recycling, as many charities and second-hand stores won’t accept them as they have no guarantee that they meet safety standards. Red Propeller breaks car seats down and breaks them into their main components so they can be recycled. The metal parts are sent to a scrap yard, the cloth and fabrics are sent to a carpet recycler that uses it for stuffing, and the plastic is sent to a plant where it’s melted and made into new products. The local authority don’t fund this recycling service, so people have to pay $15 to the company to dispose of a car seat, and this is unaffordable for some people, whereas landfill is free.

A local second-hand franchise that sells buggies is also going to be at the fair. The company repairs and cleans up buggies and sells them second-hand. They say that while parents often feel uneasy about using second-hand versions of other items, they don’t mind saving some money on buggies that are in good condition.

Small steps make a big difference

The organisers of the zero waste fair say that they want to remind people that reducing waste can be simple. It can start with avoiding the use of single-use plastics such as water bottles, carrying reusable shopping bags with you, and a reusable coffee mug instead of using paper cups. They added that making these things part of your lifestyle is easy once you start, and small things do make a big difference.