Municipality of Calvin Launches “Don’t Trash Our Future” Recycling Program

To prevent recyclables from ending up in the landfill, the Municipality of Calvin used the Fund to launch a new community recycling program. 

Calvin is a small municipality in northern Ontario with less than 600 residents. There’s no curbside garbage or recycling pickup, so each household is responsible for taking waste to the community landfill.

Residents expressed interest in a blue and grey box program to help establish a simpler, more effective process for sorting recycling and garbage, and to divert more waste from the landfill. Calvin’s municipal Council agreed that less waste at the landfill would be a win-win for the municipality and the environment. 

With a $10,000 investment from the CCBF, the Municipality provided each household with a set of recycling bins. Residents also received a fridge magnet with clear instructions for sorting and disposal of their recyclables. At the same time, the Municipality opened an electronic waste depot at the landfill for residents to drop off TVs, computers and more.

The recycling program is already a huge success after only six months. Currently, 259 of Calvin’s 270 households are participating in the program, and many residents have requested additional bins.

Now, recycling is sorted, dropped off, and transported to a larger recycling facility in a nearby community. This has streamlined processes for both residents and landfill attendants and has already diverted a huge amount of waste from the site.