The Town of Ladysmith has implemented its sustainability program for another three years, with two ambassadors ready to tackle issues around watershed protection, waste reduction, and community projects.
Student ambassadors Ava Smith and Taylor Iverson say they have been pushing hard since June 6 to educate residents in Ladysmith on proper disposal methods, and why certain items go in specific locations.
Smith, a second-year University of Victoria student says the goal of the program is designed to ensure the environment is protected and all of the natural resources are taken care of for future generations.
“We are educating through our community projects on how to reduce waste reduction and protect the watershed,” Smith says. “We are focusing on recycling audits and showing people different contaminates and how to mitigate issues from happening.”
Smith says the main concern the ambassadors are focusing on this year is water conservation, especially with the lack of rainfall, and the low snowmelt at this time of year.
“We really like to look at the Ladysmith watershed and why it is so important to protect them, especially with drought, less rain and minimal snowmelt.,” she says.
According to the Town of Ladysmith’s website, the municipality current has a 4.2 percent contamination rate for its recycling, and they need to reduce it to the provincial acceptable rate of three percent.
Iverson says the audit process to reduce recycling contamination is quite simple and the process is designed to educate people into making proper choices when it comes to waste reduction.
“We go house to house, and we pull out anything that is considered contamination,” Iverson says. “The most common things we find are flexible plastics.
“This is new to the list of recyclables, and some people don’t know that.”
Iverson says in addition to flexible plastics they are finding Styrofoam, garbage and glass, all of which could have an impact on promoting a clean, healthy environment.
Sustainability ambassadors will be out in Ladysmith conducting curbside recycling audits throughout the summer helping everyone become more environmentally friendly.
For more information on waste reduction, watershed protection and community projects visit the Town of Ladysmith’s website.
