Provincial Day of Action on Litter The Municipality of Huron Shores encourages you to take action to reduce the amount of waste going into Municipal Waste Sites or becoming litter by learning about the impacts of waste on our environment. Help keep our environment clean and healthy for generations to come. Actions that can be taken to ensure litter is disposed of in its’ proper place include: Reducing waste: giving old products new life instead of throwing them away. For example, using old containers for storage or support second-hand clothing stores as opposed to buying new. Diverting waste: recycling or composting materials when and where possible to divert waste away from landfills. For example, by using your blue and green bins. When cleaning up litter, make sure you properly separate out recyclables. Preventing waste and litter: stopping waste before its created, and before it has the chance to become litter. For example, by choosing to buy goods with less packaging or by bringing a reusable cup to take-out establishments that accept them. Cleaning up litter: helping to keep your community clean by picking up and properly disposing of litter, or by organizing a community litter cleanup for others. The Ontario Litter Cleanup Guide has more information on how to organize a safe and successful cleanup. Properly disposing of waste: making sure anything that does belong in the trash, is securely placed in garbage bins to help keep our community clean. Reporting litter hot spots and illegal dumping: Please visit ‘Report littering or illegal dumping in your community’ for more information. Tips for around the house Become an expert on what goes in the green bin and blue box in your municipality. Clean out the leftover food or beverages from jars, bottles, plastic containers and other recyclables before putting them in your blue box. If containers are dirty, they may not get recycled. Use up leftover produce in your fridge by making a batch of soup or stir fry. Put perishable foods on the top shelf of your fridge so you can keep an eye on them and use them up. Make a zero-waste air freshener with a few simple household ingredients. Upcycle your old jeans into a DIY dog toy. Tips for around your backyard: Create your own compost station outside for your garden soil. Use old towels to clean your outside windows, table tops and chairs. Create a seed nursery with toilet paper rolls before planting. Reuse cracked or damaged ceramics as flower pots. Create a “bee hotel” using things from around the house. Prevent food waste by growing what you need. Learn how to grow your own sprouts. Tips when grocery shopping: Avoid food waste by planning your meals in advance and buying groceries for your weekly recipes. Purchase beeswax food wraps instead of plastic wrap. Purchase reusable straws instead of plastic straws. Mason jars are handy and can be reused for multiple purposes. Check out our Mason Jar Salad recipe. It is our time to take action to prevent, reduce, and divert litter and waste in Ontario.