ECO INFO OCTOBER, FOR those of you who may have missed the news, is Waste Reduc- tion Month in the Greater Vancouver Regional ’ District. The GYRD is currently in Stage II of its Solid Waste Management Plan Review, whose mandate is to combine technical know-how and public input into a new waste managetnent strategy that will result in a 50% per capita decrease in garbage by the year 2000. A waste audit released earlier this year showed the region has - already reduced its waste by 32% - thanks to recycling efforts, and although many people believe that it’s individuals putting their bot- tles and cans ‘into blue boxes that is making most of the difference, most of that 32% diversion is ac- tually due to businesses and dem- olition companies. While the residential sector was, as of 1991, recycling approxi- mately 11% of its wastes, the DLC sector (demolition, land clearing and construction) was recycling a whopping 49%. Industrial, commercial and in- stitutional businesses recycled an average of 32%. You can learn more about the waste reduction programs in each GVRD municipality, get an update on the Solid Waste Management Plan Review, and hear what some | The Affordable Way | To Enjoy Gutdoor | Living .. . 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Last year, the Dundarave Business Association decided that cutting down on waste was one of this year's important goals, and after consulting with a variety of eco-professionals, has im- plemented a variety of new pro- grams, One is a waste exchange that connects businesses that have items in excess with businesses that can put those items to good use, Business Association president Darlene Hayne, of Pebble’s Children’s Wear, did a survey of what's available and what's needed, and circulated a list of her findings to all the association members, * : Examples were scrap paper that could be used for memo pads, or monthly magazines that had finished their run in a beauty salon’s waiting room. “We're trying to get people to think more in terms of exchanging things or reusing them rather than throwing them away,” said Hayne. For example, her own store used to put the cheap plastic clothes hangers that arrived with the boxes of children’s wear into the trash, 7780 Alderbridge Way, Richmond 273-2999 Hours: Mon-Wed & Sof-Sun 10am-6pm Thurs & Fri Open late 1}0am-9pm Now, the hangers are put out in a basket in the store, where they are eagerly picked up by parents happy to take them home. Merchants also held a “back alley’® sale, so they could clear their premises of outdated business equipment and supplies without resorting to the dumpster. As the findings of a waste audit determined that paper and card. board were by far the largest components of the businesses’ waste, work has also been done on establishing a central paper recycling depot for a variety of grades of paper and corrugated cardboard, Composting is an ambitious undertaking that Dundarave’s two major food stores have also taken on, and they expect to see substantial waste reduction as a result. Unlike most businesses, the Dundarave stores and offices will not see a direct return for their waste reduction efforts. Instead of paying for their gar- bage pickup by the tonne, or by the number of pickups required, the garbage pickup is a fixed cost that is built into their leases. In order to get any monetary reward for their efforts, they will have to persuade their landlords to Pass on any realized savings to them through a lease reduction. Clearly, the motivation for the business association’s actions isn't financial, but an awareness that ail segments of society have a role to play in helping the region meet its mandated goal of a 50% waste reduction by the year 2000, “People are really interested in getting things going,’ Hayne said of her colleagues proudly. 1075 Roosevelt Crescent °B, C. 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