Ms Nelson’s Grade 5/6 class from Blewett Elementary discovered what happens at the last chapter in waste’s story (when it isn’t, or can’t be, reused, repurposed, or recycled). Stan, who oversees the landfill site and works hard every day to ensure the landfill is operational for as long as possible, is explaining some of the operations to the students. We saw evidence of when the landfill was a ‘dump’, and learned of the numerous ways in which the RDCK is striving to divert as much as possible from the waste stream… including the new program targeting compostables, as well as the fact that recycling has gotten more complicated in the recent past because BC is able to accept so much more that used to have to go to the landfill!
Before the landfill, we got to visit Positive Apparel in Nelson, and learned a great deal about how this forward-thinking, community-minded organisation full of hard-working folk is doing all it can to keep textiles out of our landfills. We also get the chance to visit with the Sustainability Coordinator at Selkirk College, Castlegar, seeing recycling in action at a large educational facility (including learning about their industrial food incinerator).