Today we are excited to introduce Harvinder Aujala, Director of Policy & Communications with the Recycling Council of BC. As a new recurring guest, Harvinder is here to tell us all about RCBC’s Vision: “A World Without Waste”.

RCBC has made it their mission to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information between cities, businesses, organizations, and the public, with the aim of reducing the waste footprint of our daily lifestyles. Their BC Recyclepedia and Recycling Hotline have proven to be popular points of information for answering everyday questions all around how to deal with waste. Today Harvinder shares with us her journey and talks about some of the ways RCBC is helping us recycle smarter.

Can you tell us a bit about how you got into this, how long you’ve been in this industry, and what it is that drives your passion?
I needed to pick a major for university, and a degree in environmental science sounded really interesting. After graduating I started my career with the Recycling Council of BC in 2004. I love working towards resource conservation, and environmental protection; I can’t imagine a life without green spaces and the great outdoors. And to maintain that we need less landfills, and a focus on how to reduce the amount of waste we produce. It’s wonderful because this a journey, and I’m always learning more and trying to do better.

What sort of questions do you usually get on the Hotline?
Last year we answered over 225,000 questions on the Recycling Hotline – top 10 questions included where to take used oil for recycling, what can you do with clothes that aren’t wearable or donatable, what to do with furniture, can you recycle lightbulbs?

Have you noticed any difference in the type of questions the hotline receives since COVID?
The obvious is how to get rid of PPE, like masks and gloves, and unfortunately these aren’t recyclable, so they go in the garbage; opt for reusable options whenever possible.

Also, while people have been staying at home more, we’ve seen increased calls as people keep busy – so on renovation materials, yard waste, and items like furniture and clothing as people use this time to declutter.

We’re also seeing more cardboard due to online shopping, more organics as more people eating at home, more alcohol container refundables going back to the depot!

Isolation has reshaped our lifestyles. With that in mind, could you start us off with three habits we can adopt to help reduce the waste impact of this radical shift?

  • Most importantly is, don’t lose any progress you’ve already made! If COVID has shifted your routine, and you have items and materials you don’t know what to do with, call the BC Recycling Hotline!
  • Cooking more? Opt for less packaged foods, freeze leftovers to reduce food waste, and compost anything left.
  • Lastly, I like to suggest people do a mini-waste audit in their home, take a peek in your garbage, and where could you make a shift?

Stay tuned for a series of upcoming articles where we take a deeper look at impactful ways to deal with the waste we make!

For more info:
Website: http://www.rcbc.ca
Recycling Hotline
Lower Mainland: 604-RECYCLE (604-732-9253)