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Altona CAN - Landfills: The Last Resort

Connie Heppner Mueller


Just throw it away. It’s a common phrase. But where is “away?” 


I used to live in that blissful place where I didn’t think about where my garbage went. It magically disappeared from the curb every week and I never thought about it again. Now I think about it a lot. Turns out there is no magical place called “away” and all the things we throw out come from somewhere and end up somewhere. 


Recycle Manitoba has a great slogan to remind us that “If you’re not recycling you’re throwing it all away.” It states the obvious of course, but it reminds us that so much of what ends up at the landfill is not meant to be thrown away but rather added to a circular system, like recycling or composting, where the materials can be used again and again. 


The Town of Altona has taken many progressive steps in recent years toward reducing how much waste ends up in the landfill by offering 3 waste-streams including unlimited curbside recycling and composting options to all residents. Not many small towns can boast such a forward-thinking waste management system. 


In addition to curbside pick up, the newly revamped “Waste Diversion Loop” at the landfill offers many options for free drop off -- mattresses, used cooking oil, used motor oil, large batteries, large appliances, tires and more. See the website for more details.  https://altona.ca/residents/landfill/ 


Recyclables and organics are valuable resources that have economic value but in a landfill they have the opposite effect, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars annually. In addition organics have the added problem of creating greenhouse gases when they decompose without oxygen. There are so many reasons why it is in all of our best interests to make the landfill the last resort.


In a survey done last summer, nearly 70% of Altona residents reported they have done just that by having only 1 bag or less of garbage each week. This indicates that they are making good use of the recycling and composting services. Bravo!


Recently the town passed a few changes to our solid waste collection system which included a reduction in the waste service fees attached to property tax bills. When do taxes ever go down? Fantastic! Another change is that the amount of waste each household can kick to the curb will be limited to 1 bag or container (max. 114 litre or 30 gallons) for 2021.


So if you are not already making full use of Altona’s 3-stream waste system, it’s never been a better time to start. Compost is picked up once a month from November - April (weekly in the warmer months) and recycling is collected weekly. There are no limits on the amount of compost and recycling you can put out to the curb.  See the Town of Altona’s website for more details on how to sort your waste into three streams and let’s work together to keep our waste out of the landfill.




ACAN seeks to educate and inspire sustainable practices in our community.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, altonacan.blogspot.com or email inquiries to altonacan@gmail.com Give us a shout if you would like to be a Friend of ACAN.


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