Category Archives: Waste

Ontario Moves Forward on Cycling Strategy

Ontario is looking for public input on how to encourage and improve cycling safety across the province.

A draft cycling strategy has been released for public feedback until Jan. 29, 2013. It outlines potential improvements to cycling infrastructure, public education and legislation, including:

  • Creating a provincial cycling network to connect destinations and establish recreational cycling and tourism routes.
  • Supporting municipalities in the development of local cycling networks, including making cycling infrastructure eligible for funding under the Municipal Infrastructure Strategy.
  • Running public education campaigns with cycling safety partners such as Share the Road, the Canadian Automobile Association and EnviroCentre.
  • Updating the Driver’s Handbook to include better guidelines for cycling and sharing the road with other vehicles.
  • Providing cycling safety and bike maintenance information with any new bike sold.
  • Consulting with the public, cycling groups and municipalities on possible amendments to the Highway Traffic Act to support cycling.

To review and comment: http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTE3OTMx&statusId=MTc2NTA4&language=en

Greening your Business through Energy Conservation

This morning a number of local businesses were brought together by a joint initiative between the Peterborough Business Advisory Centre and Sustainable Peterborough.  The group gathered at the GPA EDC to hear David Whitehouse, Director Corporate & Customer Services/Conservation Officer of Peterborough Utilities and Alex Mortlock from Green Business Peterborough speak about a number of cost saving programs and incentives for small businesses.

Whitehouse spoke to the group on the Small Business Lighting, Retrofit and Peaksaver plus programs.

The Small Business Lighting program provides qualifying businesses up to $1,000 worth of energy efficient lighting and equipment upgrades as well as access to further incentives.  PDI supplies, installs, cleans up and recycles – making it easier for the business owner.  For more information on eligibility visit the saveONenergy website.

The Retrofit program addresses the capital costs associated with investing and participating in a retrofit program. With the Retrofit program businesses can instal energy efficient measures and earn up to 50% of their project costs.  There are a number of financial incentives available to businesses who replace existing equipment and installing new control systems that will improve efficiency of operations.

The program offers three Tracks to conservation,

  • prescriptive
  • engineered
  • custom.

Prescriptive provides you with the ease of selecting from a defined list of end-use measures with a corresponding per/unit incentive, while the engineered track provides a series of preset calculations worksheets that help you estimate reductions in peak demand and/or electricity consumption that apply to the installation of more energy -efficient equipment or solutions.

For those more complex or innovative solutions, not covered in the previously mentioned tracks. there is the custom track.  The custom track evaluates demand and energy performance on technology, equipment and system improvements. Incentives are paid after installation and once the savings have been measured and verified.

Whitehouse noted that the benefits of these programs are that the reduce operating costs, energy, increase occupant comfort and productivity and adds value to property or asset. Many retrofits pay for themselves in under 2 years which represents pure profit to the business.

Alex Mortlock, from Peterborough GreenUp spoke to the group about a recent program launched through Peterborough GreenUp and the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce called Green Business Peterborough. The program will recognize businesses that have pledged or have implemented strategies for waste reduction, energy conservation and/or any form of sustainable business practices.

There are a host of incentives for business owners to become part of the Green Business Program:

  • Recognition on the Green Business Peterborough website
  • Recognition on the Chamber of Commerce website
  • Recognition on the Peterborough GreenUp website
  • Press coverage, promotional events and special recognition
  • Window decals, certificates and promotional materials for your business
  • Green Business Peterborough logo to use in your advertising

This session was the first of a number of sessions being held over the next year to promote sustainable business practices. They fulfill a mandate set forward by Sustainable Peterborough’s Plan for Economic Development in that it provides the business community with concrete tools from which to build or transition to sustainable business practices.

Keep coming back to our website for more information on how you can save through energy conservation!

Save the Environment and Save the Turtles

Every battery you recycle at the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Depot until November 4, 2012 will earn 30 cents for the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre or ecoSpark.

Please visit www.makethedrop.ca to register how many batteries you dropped off, and which charity you would like the 30 cents per battery to go to. So easy!

But you only have until November 4

Round up your household batteries and take them to the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Depot, located at 400 Pido Road in Peterborough.

The Household Hazardous Waste Depot is open Wednesday to Saturday, 8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.

This information is also on the City website at www.peterborough.ca.

For further information, please contact:
Virginia Swinson, B. Sc.
Waste Diversion Section Manager
City of Peterborough
500 George Street North
Peterborough ON K9H 3R9
705-742-7777 Ext. 1725

Used Battery Collection Program

The Township of Douro-Dummer is pleased to announce a new program in partnership with the County of Peterborough. The Township Office will now be accepting used batteries for collection. If you have any used batteries, please bring them to the office and they will be disposed of properly.

Please remember to never throw batteries in the garbage or in your recycling box. Batteries must be disposed of properly!

Environment Day – Friday, October 19

The City and County of Peterborough are joining together to host an Environment Day on Friday, October 19th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Peterborough Waste Management Facility (Landfill) located at 1260 Bensfort Road.

For this one day only, you will have an opportunity to recycle some common landfill fillers: carpet, mattresses and over-sized plastic items, such as patio furniture, laundry baskets, kiddie pools and more. It will all get recycled at no charge to you

You may also bring along your used electronics such as computers, televisions and personal electronic devices and any scrap metal items including small appliances and power tools, metal hangers, pots and pans and more.

Special event pricing is available on the purchase of blue boxes, composters, rain barrels and digesters – cash only please.

For this event only, we will be hosting tours of the landfill. Are you brave enough to go to the tip?

Visit www.peterborough.ca/waste for more details, or call 705-742-7777, ext 1657 or toll free 1-855-738-3755, ext 1657. County residents may call 705-775-2737.

This information is also available on the City of Peterborough website www.peterborough.ca, as well as the County of Peterborough website www.county.peterborough.on.ca.

For further information please contact the undersigned:

Virginia A. Swinson, B.Sc.
Waste Diversion Section Manager
City of Peterborough
500 George Street North
Peterborough ON K9H 3R9
742-7777 Ext 1725
Toll-free 1-855-738-3755 Ext 1725