image with a laptop, sneaker, and tool that reads swap share thrift repair

For Waste Reduction information from our partners at Divert NS click here.

Colchester Waste Reduction Events

Costume Swap Drop-Off

For waste reduction week residents across Colchester County can drop off slightly used costumes and accessories.

VenueAddressDateTime
Tatamagouche Library Drop - Off Closed Drop - Off Closed Drop - Off Closed
Bible Hill Office 67 Pictou Rd. Bible Hill Drop - Off Closed Drop - Off Closed
Stewiacke Town Office 295 George St. Stewiacke Drop - Off Closed Drop - Off Closed
Truro Library 754 Prince St. Truro Drop - Off Closed Drop - Off Closed

Costume Swap Event Day

This is a FREE Waste Reduction Week Event promoting Reusing, Reducing, Sharing and Swapping.

VenueAddressDateTime
Tatamagouche Library 170 Main St. Tatamagouche Event Completed Event Completed
H. Douglas Boyce Village Hall 69 Pictou Rd. Bible Hill Event Completed Event Completed
Stewaicke Town Hall 295 George St. Stewiacke Event Completed Event Completed
Truro Library 754 Prince St. Truro Event Completed Event Completed

Care & Repair Market

Colchester Waste Reduction Team has partnered with the Living Earth Council to host a Care and Repair Market in celebration of Waste Reduction Week. Living Earth Council created this event and we grateful for the partnership and commitment to our shared goals!

VenueDateTime
Truro Library - Read Room Event Completed Event Completed
TBA TBA TBA
TBA TBA TBA

Waste Reduction Theme

Circular Economy

We would like to share with you five ways to transition towards a circular economy:

a circle made up of two curved arrows

  • Consume Less: It’s extremely impactful to avoid excessive consumption.
  • Consume Better: A circular economy is not only about consuming less; it's also about consuming better. For consumers, this can mean choosing versions of products that have been produced in more sustainable ways or that can be recycled.
  • Repairing instead of buying new when possible.
  • Use/promote sharing/swapping programs.
  • Support local

Textile

Here are a few textile facts:

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  • It takes 2600L of water to make one t-shirt
  • Canadians on average purchase 70 new article of clothing a year
  • Textile make up 9% of landfill space in Nova Scotia
  • Used clothing & textiles can be dropped of at charitable location across Colchester. Instead of throwing out tattered textiles repurpose them into rags, masks etc.
  • Click here for more information on Textile Waste

E-Waste

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Many electronics are now banned from landfill disposal and should not be placed in the garbage or set out for curbside collection.

Electronics can be taken to Subway Bottle Exchange, Tatamagouche Recycling and TNT Recycling free of charge.

To learn more about the Recycle My Electronics program visit Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) 

Plastics

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An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our ocean each year.  Approximately 90% of new plastics are made from fossil fuels. Recycling 1 tonne of plastic prevent up to 2 tonnes of carbon pollution.

Food Waste

line drawing of an apple core, hamburger with a bite out of it and a chicken leg that has a bite out of it

It is estimated that individuals and households across Canada waste more than $10 billion worth of food annually. When organic material is sent to landfill to decompose it releases methane into the atmosphere, which is a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. To learn more about food waste visit Waste Not News

Sharing Economy

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There are many local Government Parks, Recreation Departments and Libraries that promote Sharing Economy in Colchester, Stewiacke and Truro. You can borrow skates, sledges, sport equipment, snowshoes and more from your local Parks and Recreation Department.

Swap and Repair

line drawing of a person running with a giant wrench and is circled by three arrows

Colchester Waste Reduction team partners with the Living Earth Council to host a Care and Repair Market in celebration of Waste Reduction Week every year. This is a FREE event for Town of Truro, Town of Stewiacke and Colchester residents to extend the life of items by repairing instead of replacing.