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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 8, 2015 | 38 A challenge to live waste-free for a year Inspired by The Clean Bin Project, Heather Govender wants others to be more environmentally conscious by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene "Connected to your Community" I f you tasked yourself with producing little to no waste for a year -- could you do it? Would it make a difference? Lifelong Oakville resident Heather Govender is hoping so and challenging herself to live waste-free for a year (starting today -- Oct. 8) and hoping to inspire others to become more environmentally conscious. According to a 2014 Region of Halton report on waste management and diversion, residents produced 90,459 tonnes of landfill waste (that's approximately 175 kilograms per person) and 228,130 tonnes of total waste, including landfill, organics and recyclables (approximately 440 kg per person). In that same report, it stated the overall waste diversion rate in Halton did increase by two per cent to 60 per cent in 2014 due to residents' participation in the Region's waste diversion program, such as blue box recycling, and yard waste and storm brush removal. The Conference Board, which measures air pollution, garbage production, energy consumption, water usage and other factors across 17 developed economies around the world, gave Canada a "D" grade in municipal waste generation. Placing last, Canada generates more municipal waste per capita annually than any of its peer countries. In 2008, it generated 777 kg per capita of waste, which was well above the 578 kg average and twice as much as top-performing country Japan. (It should be noted the data on the Conference Board's website states it's as current as of January 2013). It's those daunting figures that made Govender decide to "practice what she preached" and challenge herself to live waste-free for a year. Halton Green Screens is featuring The Clean Bin Project in Oakville tonight (Thursday) at Film.ca. The documentary inspired resident Heather Govender to challenge herself to live waste-free for a year starting today. Above, Govender sits among some items that will be useful to her in completing her challenge, such as homemade soap and toothpaste, and a reusable water bottle. | photo by Justin Greaves ­ Oakville Beaver "We have this strong mentality that we need so much stuff to live; everyone's replacing their phone every year, their clothes as fashion changes. I think we need to move away from that mentality and also move away from being such a throw-away society," she said. "We send a lot of waste to landfills and it's just not a sustainable system." For Govender, the challenge will mean figuring out a pet-specific composter in her backyard, making her own crackers in a pasta maker, and making things such as pasta sauce and hummus from scratch to avoid food packaging. She'll turn down straws and toothpicks at restaurants, buy bread directly from the bakery without a bag and make all of her own personal care and cleaning products. She also won't be buying any new clothing or consumer products during the year. "I hope it will move me away from that consumerist mentality," said Govender. "I do OK, in that respect, but I sometimes feel the need for new material things. I know most of those things, I don't need." But it's not as if the married 30-year-old is going in blind. Govender admits she's been environmentally aware since she was young. "I was that child who'd carry around a pop can all day, just so I can recycle it, if there wasn't a bin available," she said. "But it's been the last five years or so, where I've been more serious about it." Govender buys her "new" clothing secondhand or through hand-me-downs because she says it takes a lot of energy and resources to make new clothing. Same thing with her furniture and she's already been making a lot of her own personal care products to avoid the packaging. While she's hoping to produce no waste in the year, Govender has given herself one bin to fill see Govender on p.39 in support of World Class Stage Performances on the Big Screen een 2 for 1 admission to any Signature Series performance Valid for Guillaume Tell or The Comedy of Errors expiry: october 31, 2015 171 Speers Road (at Kerr) Oakville 905-338-6397 · www.film.ca facebook.com/filmca @filmcacinemas Guillaume tell october 11/14 the comedy of errors october 25/28