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Community

Community

It’s not just Oxford County’s municipal government that encourages landfill diversion- our citizens are leading the way

Outdoor

Outdoor

Composting diverts waste and beautifies your home landscape. Plus, what you need to know about backyard burning

Indoor

Indoor

Take advantage of reusable bags and water bottles, try indoor composting and purchase fewer packaged products to reduce your household waste.

Community events

Non-curbside recyclable materials can be taken to one of the annual waste collection events held throughout the County for free.

Waste collection events are for residential customers from individual households only. We cannot accept garbage or recycling from a business, workplace or waste greater than what would fit into a 5-gallon container.

Accepted materials include:

Upcoming waste collection events

May 6, 2017

944 James St, Woodstock

September 9, 2017

300 Ingersoll St (GM CAMI), Ingersoll

Community sustainability

Community sustainability is a shared responsibility. Oxford County’s Strategic Plan sets out a vision of vibrant communities working well and growing stronger together. Part of this is ensuring significant decisions are informed by an assessment of the community, economic and environmental implications.

Community initiatives

Becoming a Zero Waste Community
Future Oxford (Community Sustainability Plan)
Joint Municipal Coordinating Committee

Outdoor

Did you know you can reduce and even reuse the waste you generate inside and outside of your home? From yard waste, to coffee grounds and even food scraps can be converted into nutrient-rich material that will have your flower beds blossoming. Below are the do’s and don'ts when it comes to handling waste outside of your home.

Outdoor composting

Composting is the process of breaking down organic material (yard and food waste) into a dark, nutrient-rich soil that can then be used to help your gardens and flower beds grow.

The County sells two types of composters which can be purchased from your local municipal office, including the Oxford County Administration Building, or at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility (landfill). An above ground composter with a 311 litre capacity for $10 or an underground composter called the Green Cone, able to digest up to 1 kg of food waste every 1-2 days for $40.

For more information on starting your own outdoor composters, visit these websites:
Compost Council of Canada website
Put waste in its Place
Compostec
EnviroWorld

Backyard burning/ Open air burning

Most of the items people commonly burn can be recycled.

Burning trash may release toxic chemicals into the air, water and soil. Materials such as cardboard, Styrofoam, treated wood, newspaper, tires and yard waste can release dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere, degrating air quality and possibly affecting your health.

Backyard burning is not permitted under the Ontario Fire Code unless approved in advance by the Fire Department.

See more information about open air burning here.

Composters available to purchase

Indoor

There are simple steps we can all take to reduce the amount of waste in our homes. Combining recycling, reusing and even composting will all add up to a lot less waste going to the landfill.

Indoor home composting

Did you know you can compost even if you don’t have a yard? Composting is possible in your home year-round with vermicomposting.

Vermicomposting uses worms to turn vegetables and other organic waste into worm manure that can be used as fertilizer. A worm bin or worm bed can be used indoors, for instance under a sink, on a balcony, or in a garage. The result is nutrient-rich soil that can be used for house plants or outdoor plants.

 

For more information on vermicomposting, visit these websites:
Waste Reduction Week Canada
What is Vermicomposting?
How to vermicompost

Good habits at home

Practice waste reduction everyday. There are many things we can do to reduce the amount of waste we are producing in our daily lives. Here are a few ideas to help get you started:

Reuse

  • Bring reusable cloth bags when shopping
  • Use a travel mug when purchasing beverages, like coffee on the go
  • Repurpose household products like coffee tins and shoe boxes as storage containers
  • If you don’t use something anymore, and it’s still usable, donate it rather than throwing it in the garbage

Reduce

  • Use Tupperware and/or glass containers when packing lunches, rather than packaged or bagged items
  • Buy only what you need, and try to purchase items that have minimal packaging

Recycle

  • Set up recycling stations throughout your home to capture all of your available blue box recyclable materials.

For more ideas on how to reduce your waste, or to join the waste reduction movement, visit Waste Reduction Week Canada


Vermicomposting






Reusable products

Waste Sorting Game