The world of recycling is an ever-changing place. Look at how China’s recent decision to cut back on contaminated waste has affected every country worldwide. But the changes are not always bad. Sometimes they are wonderful!
Bowen Island businesses have been working hard to reduce their garbage and recycling. Did you know that you can bring clean refillable containers to the Ruddy Potato’s deli for weighted product or to The Soup Fairy for soups? Even better, if you bring your own mug to The Ruddy you get 10 per cent off your coffee. These are all small, but vital pieces to reducing our dependence on single use packaging.
The really big news this week comes from The Ruddy Potato! The Ruddy has announced that they are switching to using food waste grade compostable straws and packaging in their deli! Look for the big blue poster in the deli showing which containers are compostable.
This is a really big step! This new packaging is meant to go into the food waste stream, not into recycling. That said, these containers can be recycled in paper waste, as long as they are free of food residue. The Ruddy is working hard to reduce their waste footprint by not adding to the tons of plastic recycling that is currently being collected on the island.
This new packaging is designed to go into the green waste stream. So when you buy products from The Ruddy in this food grade packaging, you can put it directly into your green waste bin. If, in the worst-case scenario, you accidentally put the container into your garbage and it is incinerated, as most garbage is these days, no plastic will be burned.
This is great news for all of us who live on Bowen Island. We owe a big thank you to all the local businesses that are doing their part to help us reduce our dependence on single use plastic packaging!
