Silver Green Ambassador Project
Recycling Ambassadors are superhero volunteers who help their neighbours gain a better understanding of recycling in the region and general waste reduction. Ambassadors engage fellow residents through education and recycling initiatives in their complex to help reduce what is headed to the landfill.
About the Program
The Township of Langley created the program to encourage recycling education and participation in multi-family residential buildings or complexes. The program takes a neighbour-helping-neighbour approach and supports residents in engaging others in their building when it comes to waste diversion and reduction.
What’s Involved?
After signing up, Recycling Ambassadors take part in a training workshop that explains what happens with the region’s waste and what they can do to reduce their building’s waste and environmental footprint. Volunteers are equipped with materials, posters, and promotional items to help residents in their complex to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Along the way, Township staff provide assistance and support to Ambassadors as needed.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for volunteering in the program, as involvement will differ between individuals and complexes. Involvement can be as simple as putting up posters in the waste room and answering questions, or it can be larger scale such as organizing a garage sale, collecting batteries for recycling, or even introducing a bin for bottles and cans to raise money for your strata. The extent of involvement is entirely up to you!
Why get involved?
Beyond reducing your building’s carbon footprint through education and outreach, Recycling Ambassadors can also help save their strata money on waste collection.
As of 2017, recyclables and organics still make up more than 50% of what ends up in an average multi-family building’s garbage. Unlimited amounts of recyclables are free to dispose of through municipal recycling programs, and organic composting programs are typically much cheaper than private garbage disposal. If you’re able to divert these items from the garbage successfully, you may be able to reduce your building’s garbage pick up frequency or size, potentially saving your complex hundreds of dollars each month.
Recycling Ambassadors are also directly notified of changes to municipal collection programs and can take part in new waste diversion or regional education campaigns.