Saugeen Peninsula Reduces Waste  – Pilot Project 2024/2025

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Submitted by Sources of Knowledge and Peninsula Bruce Trail Club

Inspired by Canada Reduces, Sources of Knowledge (SoK) and Peninsula Bruce Trail Club (PBTC) are working together on a pilot project called, Saugeen Peninsula Reduces Waste. This pilot project aims to reduce single-use plastic, especially related to food and beverage containers, and promotes BYO – Bring Your Own Container.

The Saugeen Peninsula Reduces Waste project will promote local businesses that are working toward reducing single-use plastic by offering a “bring your own” container option for customers. Project participants will be given a free window decal to help identify their establishment as a Saugeen Peninsula Reduces Waste merchant. Participating businesses will be profiled on the SoK and PBTC websites. 

We need all-hands-on-deck to help reduce waste! Waste is a huge problem – textile waste, food waste, and especially single use plastic waste. Plastic does not decompose. It leaches into the soil and water and eventually finds its way to our table.

For the fourth year, Peninsula Bruce Trail Club is utilizing a Community Science approach through the Hike It! Love It! Keep It Clean! project to collect data about type, amount and location of litter found along the Bruce Trail and at local “hot spots” between Wiarton and Tobermory. Data collection summaries are completed by Bruce Trail Conservancy.

Sources of Knowledge’s Inspector Seabin project also uses a Community Science method which engages volunteers to collect data from three local seabins located in the Tobermory and Lion’s Head harbours. Data collection is analyzed by the University of Toronto Rochman Lab. 

According to our data, plastic waste is the number one littered item on the Saugeen Peninsula. In our community, cigarette butts, food wrap and associated food and beverage container waste contribute to the greatest proportion of litter. 

Merchants and consumers can work together to make change! Choose to bring your own container to take-out food establishments, restaurants for take-home leftovers, refilleries, food markets, and your favourite coffee shop. If you are a local merchant – choose to be a leader by offering a BYO container option.

If you are a business that would like to participate in this project, please contact Owen at owenglendon@gmail.com or Marg at pbtcoutreach@gmail.com for more information.

Small actions can lead to big change.

Learn more about Canada Reduces and what other communities are doing: https://www.canadareduces.ca/ and Owen Sound Reduces here: https://oswastewatchers.ca/os-reduces-merchants