As the regional waste management authority for Region 7, Waste Check has taken some bold steps and set ambitious goals for itself. What kind of goals you may ask? How about a goal to reach 300kg/person/year by 2013 – that’s two years ahead of the provincial target.

How do they intend to get there? Well, Waste Check has a plan firmly in place and some of these initiatives are having very impressive results. For example, they embraced a clear bag garbage collection policy that has resulted in some remarkable improvements, including:

• 25% decrease in waste going to landfill
• 24% increase in material going to its compost facility
• 12% increase in recycling

In addition, Waste Check hired a By-law enforcement officer and is conducting a Multi-Unit Dwelling Education Program to ensure they enforce and further sustain the waste management programs they’ve put in place.

Other forward thinking initiatives include, the building of new waste transfer stations that improve the efficiency of waste disposal and lower greenhouse gas production and being the first region in the province to work with Tim Horton's and Scotia Recycling on a pilot initiative for a curb side cup recycling program.

What do all of these efforts in waste diversion mean? As an overall regional waste management authority, Waste Check now leads the province with the top regional waste disposal rate.

Rick Ramsay, Chair of RRFB Nova Scotia, and Bill Ring, CEO of RRFB Nova Scotia, presented the Mobius Environmental Award for Municipality, Region or Authority of the Year to Jimmy McAlpine, Vice Chair of Waste Check, and Leland Anthony, Chair of Waste Check.