Trent Lakes Introduces Clean Roadways For Earth Day

April 4, 2023 [TRENT LAKES, ON] - Residents of Trent Lakes can feel good about helping clean up their community and have a chance at a prize, too. In celebration of Earth Day 2023 (April 22), the Municipality of Trent Lakes is introducing Clean Roadways For Earth Day!

Clean Roadways For Earth Day allows Trent Lakes’ residents to be entered into a draw for a FoodCycler unit if they clean a municipal roadway between April 15 to April 30, 2023.

To sign up, residents only need to register online as an individual or group. The municipality will then email instructions on picking up their supply kit, including a one time free waste card.

To be officially entered into the draw for a FoodCycler, participants must submit a picture with the garbage bag(s) after the cleanup.

“We always have residents inquiring about our FoodCycler program, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to supply a free unit to the community while helping our local environment,” says Chelsea Carpenter, Supervisor of Waste and Public Works Coordinator with the Municipality of Trent Lakes.

A FoodCycler is a small electronic device that breaks down food waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used in gardening. It retails for $499 plus tax on the official FoodCycler website.

In 2021, the Municipality of Trent Lakes partnered with Food Cycle Science (FCS), an Ottawa-based company, to offer residents FoodCycler units through a pilot Food Waste Diversion program.

FoodCycler units were first offered to 150 households at a subsidized rate, with a well-received response from the community. Trent Lakes continues to expand the program, with at least 400 households in Trent Lakes utilizing the FoodCycler so far. 

The results? An estimated 96 metric tonnes of food waste are now diverted per year from Trent Lakes’ landfills, resulting in a reduction of the municipality’s carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, and weekly garbage quantities. 

For its initiatives, the Municipality of Trent Lakes was proud to receive the 2022 Innovation Award from Municipal World for reducing organic waste.

“Residents have really shown their passion and commitment to reducing waste and creating a long-term impact on environmental protection,” says Carpenter. “This is another great opportunity for us to make a difference together as a community.”

To sign up for Clean Roadways For Earth Day, visit: https://www.trentlakes.ca/en/live/earth.aspx 

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