October 15, 2001
Conservation Minister Oscar Lathlin today proclaimed Oct. 15 to 21 Waste Reduction Week in Manitoba and encouraged Manitobans to reduce wastes and conserve resources.
"Canadians produce 1.7 kilograms of trash every day--more than citizens of any other country," the minister said. "It's up to all of us to practice the three Rs of reducing, reusing and recycling this week and every week of the year."
Waste Reduction Week is intended to raise public awareness about waste and its effects on the environment. This is the first time that all Canadian provinces and territories are working together to make Waste Reduction Week a national event. This year's theme is Too Good to Waste.
The theme days for Waste Reduction Week 2001 are:
Sunday Composting
Lathlin noted that an information package has been distributed to schools and municipalities to encourage participation. In keeping with the theme of the week, paper has been kept to a minimum, with electronic links provided to resource documents.
Waste Reduction Week activities were co-ordinated by Resource Conservation Manitoba, a non-profit, community-based environmental organization. To support the initiative, Manitoba Conservation provided a grant of $4,500 from the Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention (WRAPP) Fund.
The fund is a four-year, $2.2 million fund established in 2000 to support projects in the areas of organic waste management and composting, pollution prevention, and model integrated waste management system development and planning.
For more information, visit the National Waste Reduction Week Web site at:
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