Working together towards a circular economy

Circular Economy Month

Every year in October, we recognize Circular Economy Month to highlight the importance of reducing waste and making better use of our resources. A circular economy is a model that retains and recovers as much value as possible from resources by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing products and materials to maximize their value before they are recycled or thrown out.

Five material types have been identified as the priorities for reducing waste in Canada: Construction, Renovation, and Demolition, Textiles, Electronic and Critical Minerals, Packaging, and Food.

In recognition of Circular Economy Month, residents and the Region give examples of how we are reducing the amount of waste from these materials.

Construction waste

Construction activities generate nearly one-third of all solid waste in Canada, producing over four million tonnes of waste each year.

Uxbridge resident Melanie used wood from her home renovations for garden boxes, ensuring it did not go to waste. "When we renovated our home, we had leftover wood, including some reclaimed wood, that could have gone to a waste management facility,” said Melanie. “Instead, we saved it for future projects. This year, we used some of it to build garden boxes and we're planning to make a family name sign this fall. Sustainability is important to me, and reusing materials not only reduces waste, but it also saves money."

The Region is doing their part by piloting various technologies for cutting down on road construction waste, such as Hot in Place Recycling. With this process, the volume of aggregate materials, typically mined and trucked in for road construction, are significantly reduced, thereby lowering costs and reducing the environmental impact. No pavement waste was generated during the pilot, as all existing aggregates and asphalt cement were fully recovered and reused. This innovative project has been recognized with two awards—the Ontario Public Works Associations Award for Transportation Project of the Year in the less than $2M division and the 2025 Good Roads Municipal Paving Project of the Year Award.

Textiles

Canadians, on average, purchase 70 new articles of clothing a year, but only wear about 50 per cent of the clothes we own. Canadians throw out nearly 500 million kilograms (or about a billion pounds) of clothing and fabric-containing home goods every year.

Whitby resident Joyce visits local thrift stores regularly to keep her wardrobe updated. “You can find so many clothes that look brand new at a fraction of the price,” said Joyce. “When I no longer need them, I donate the clothes in good condition back to the thrift stores or to family members and friends.” To keep her clothes looking new longer, she uses her sewing skills to repair any small rips or tears, and air dries her clothes whenever possible rather than using a clothes dryer.

The Region also holds Environment Days throughout the year during which residents can drop off clothing and textiles in good condition, as well as other items, to then be donated to charities. Residents can also donate items in the marked donation bins at our waste management facilities.

Electronic waste

In 2022, the world produced a record 62 billion kilograms of electronic waste (e-waste), up 82 per cent from 2010. Electronic waste includes unwanted devices and cables, plus batteries and fluorescent lights. Nearly everything inside of them can be recovered and made into new products, however e-waste is growing five times faster than recycling rates.

When Ajax resident Maddie built her gaming computer, she bought refurbished parts found on Facebook Marketplace. “I was able to find a refurbished motherboard, graphics card and RAM,” said Maddie. “Buying refurbished instead of new saved me a significant amount of money.”

E-waste is accepted at the Region’s Environment Days as well, while bi-annual curbside battery collection is offered to residents for household batteries so they can be recycled. Durham residents can also drop off e-waste, including batteries, for recycling at our waste management facilities free of charge all year around. E-waste can also be collected at the curb by booking a special collection.

Packaging waste

Approximately 40 per cent of the plastic produced each year is packaging, used once and thrown away. Recycling one tonne of plastics prevents up to two tonnes of carbon pollution.

Bowmanville resident Jeff cuts down on packaging for his family by buying snacks in bulk instead of individual portions, or making their own snacks at home, such as trail mix and granola bars. The snacks are then put into reusable containers for work and school lunches.

In addition to supporting the recycling of plastics through the Blue Box program managed by Circular Materials, Durham Region also processes all green bin materials at an existing Anaerobic Digestion facility. This allowed the Region to expand the Green Bin program to include some products that contain a mix of plastics and compostable materials, such as diapers and menstrual products. Regional facilities also have water bottle filling stations to encourage staff to bring refillable water bottles to work.

Food waste

One-fifth, or 19 per cent, of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted every year, due in large part to household food waste practices. 

Oshawa resident Stephanie gets creative with leftovers by turning them into a new meal to waste less. “Yesterday’s chicken is great in a quesadilla; a Sunday roast makes quick Monday night sliders; overripe bananas become freshly baked banana bread; and ripe fruit gets a second life in a smoothie,” said Stephanie.

The Region helps residents cut back on their daily food waste by offering tips on how to plan meals, store food and get creative with leftovers, so edible food doesn’t end up wasted. For food scraps that can be composted at home for use in the garden,  backyard composters are available for residents to purchase online using the Region’s home delivery service.

The future of waste management

Even small changes in how we deal with waste daily can help us drastically reduce our carbon footprint and recover as much value as possible from resources. Throughout the year, the Region supports residents in their waste reduction efforts by promoting the five “Rs” (Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover). In a perfect circular economy, nothing is wasted.

For more information about Durham’s waste collection programs, visit durham.ca/Waste.