October is Circular Economy Month

Read more about Circular Economy Month at www.circulareconomymonth.ca

October is Circular Economy Month in Canada! A circular economy promotes minimizing waste and maximizing the reuse of resources. This year’s theme is “A Stronger Community for All.” The goal is to promote the socio-economic benefits of a circular economy, building stronger communities, strengthening supply chains, and making life more affordable for all Canadians.

A circular economy benefits the environment, well-being and biodiversity, which are key goals in the Oxford County 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. Each week in October highlights a different aspect of the circular economy: its definition, environmental benefits, social and economic impacts, and waste reduction.

What is the circular economy? (Oct 1 – 5)

A circular economy is all about reducing waste and making the most of the earth’s resources, like wood from trees or minerals from the ground. In a circular economy, products are built to last longer, fixed, and reused by deconstructing the original parts. Learn more at www.circulareconomymonth.ca

Linear Economy

Circular Economy

 Environmental Benefits (Oct 6 – 12)

A circular economy provides numerous environmental benefits, including:

• Tackling climate change – Circular economies promote efficient production and consumption, reducing embodied carbon and helping to reach carbon emission targets.
  
  
• Cleaner water and water conservation – A circular economy can reduce the amount of plastic waste and microplastics in our waterways, improving the water quality for everyone.
  
  
• Increased resource recovery – Keeping products out of landfills reduces the need to extract new resources.
  
  
• Expand the definition of wealth - Expanding the definition of wealth to include natural capital helps elected officials make informed choices by recognizing the economic value of ecosystems and the services they provide.
  
  
• Increased biodiversity – A circular economy reduces the demand for new resources, preserving and regenerating natural habitats and biodiversity.
  
  
• Less Waste – Extending the life cycle of the products and materials we create will result in less items being sent to landfills.
   

Social and Economic Benefits (Oct 13 – 19)

A circular economy offers multiple social and economic benefits with the creation of new and innovative jobs in recycling, reuse, repair/maintenance, and refurbishment. Transitioning to a circular economy allows societies to move towards a more sustainable and equitable future, which will provide the following benefits:

• Job creation and skills development
  
  
• Increased affordability
  
  
• Prosperous and Healthy Communities
  
  
• Community Engagement and Empowerment

Waste Reduction Week (Oct 20 – 26)

Waste Reduction Week is one of the key themes of Circular Economy Month in Canada. Waste Reduction Week helps educate residents on the importance of waste reduction. Diverting waste means less garbage in our landfills and helps to conserve precious landfill space. The more waste we produce, the more landfill space we need. Each day in Waste Reduction Week has a theme with statistics and suggestions from Circular Economy Month Canada:

Construction Monday (new theme for 2025) – Construction generates nearly one-third of all solid waste in Canada, producing over four million tonnes of construction waste each year, enough to fill roughly 640 Olympic swimming pools. Recycling and reusing construction materials can significantly reduce their environmental footprint while also driving innovation and growth.   


Textile Tuesday - Did you know that Canadians throw away nearly 500 million kilograms of textiles (clothing or fabric) every year? Most of the clothing and fabric taking up space in our landfills could have been donated, recycled or repurposed. Diabetes Canada has several donation bins in Oxford County where you can support diabetes research and help divert items from the landfill by donating clothing and textiles, small household items and books. Find a donation bin near you at declutterfordiabetes.ca. Textiles can also be recycled at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility at 384060 Salford Road in Salford. Find a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials for textile recycling at www.wasteline.ca by selecting Special Recycling.

E-Waste Wednesday - Over time, old electronics can leak toxic elements like mercury and lead, which can be harmful to humans and the environment when not recycled properly. Batteries contain chemical and metal components that can endanger collection staff, have the potential to start fires if set out at the curb and harm the environment if disposed of improperly. In Oxford County, you can safely dispose of e-waste at the electronic waste depot at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility at 384060 Salford Road in Salford free of charge. Oxford County residents can also dispose of e-waste at the City of Woodstock EnviroDepot located at 944 James Street. You can also donate your old mobile phone through CNIB’s Phone It Forward website at phoneitforward.ca to be repurposed for people with sight loss who need them.

Plastics Thursday – Since the 1950s, an estimated 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been generated globally. Only 23 percent of the generated plastics are recycled or recovered and estimates indicate that mated that another 12 billion tonnes of plastic will be lost to disposal by 2050. Nearly half of the plastics produced are used for packaging, used once and tossed away. Together, we can reduce the use and waste of plastics with a circular economy.

Residents in Oxford County can drop off film plastic free of charge through the Film Plastic Recycling Program at the following locations:

• Waste Management Facility
• Tillsonburg Transfer Station
• Beachville Fire Hall
• South-West Oxford Municipal Building
• Woodstock EnviroDepot

Another way the County is looking to divert plastics from the landfill is through the Agricultural Plastics Diversion Pilot Project.

For a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable materials for the Film Plastic Recycling Program and Agricultural Plastics Pilot Project and more information on all of the diversion programs offered by the County, head to the Special Recycling page at www.wasteline.ca.

Food Waste Friday – Food Waste Friday encourages everyone to take the pledge and commit to reducing food waste. When you take the Food Waste Pledge, you’ll commit to:

• Learn about food waste in Canada.
• Planning meals and making a grocery list
• Storing fruits and vegetables properly so they last longer.
• Getting creative with leftovers
• Thinking about expiry dates
• Compost leftover organics

Oxford County is launching a new green bin organics program in January 2026. This new program will collect food scraps and other biodegradable waste as part of the residential curbside collection program. Organics collection starts in South-West Oxford and Woodstock in January 2026. All other area municipalities (Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Zorra) begin organic collection in May 2027. Find more information at www.oxfordcounty.ca/new-waste-collection.  

A fantastic way to avoid food waste in Oxford County is through the Great Pumpkin Rescue. Zero Waste Oxford supports the Great Pumpkin Rescue every year in Oxford County from November 1 - 6. The Great Pumpkin Rescue gives leftover pumpkins, squash, and gourds a second life. The foods often used for fall decorations are diverted from landfills and repurposed into community meals and livestock feed. Follow the Great Pumpkin Rescue on Facebook for a complete list of 2025 drop-off locations and watch for updates at www.oxfordcounty.ca

Share and reuse Saturday – Share and Reuse Saturday promotes a sharing economy to help reduce waste. Canadians participate in a Sharing Economy without even realizing it through ride-sharing apps, libraries, rental services and more. Reuse Saturday encourages everyone to find different uses for everyday items to keep them from going to the landfill. 

Swap Sunday – Yard sales, buy-and-sell groups online, flea markets, and community clothing and item swaps are all great ways to reuse, recycle and prevent items from entering the landfill. You may not realize it, but when you sell your items in a buy-and-sell group or host your own yard sale, you are participating in a Circular Economy.