Zero Waste Summer Newsletter

Banff strives to be a model environmental community and we need community members like yourself to help us lead the charge.

Learn fascinating facts below about what really happens in the recycling world, how to get involved with zero waste initiatives, and tips from the pros to shrink your garbage at home.

If you know others who would enjoy receiving this newsletter, have them sign up at banff.ca/notify.

Town of Banff Waste Transfer Site Tours

Ever wondered what happens to your garbage, recycling, and compost after you drop it in a bin?

Learn what happens to your waste after you drop it in the bin. You’ll be lead through a tour of the Town’s Waste Transfer Site and Drop-Off Yard with one of our team members.

Friday, July 15
Afternoon tour: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Evening tour: 5 – 6 p.m.
Town of Banff Waste Transfer Site, 160 Hawk Avenue.

Email: zero.waste@Banff.ca to register

We are adding more food and recycling bins this summer to help you sort more and shrink your waste! These new food bins create neighbourhood Zero Waste Stations where Banffites can recycle and compost more, helping achieve the Town of Banff’s goal of zero waste to landfill.

Find out where the closest station to you is here!

Do you live in a staff accommodation or multi-residential building? The Town can provide kits for you and your neighbours. Please reach out to zero.waste@Banff.ca to request kits for your building.

Congratulations to Banff's newest Zero Waste Trailblazers, Banff Mountaintop Flowers and the HI Banff Alpine Centre!

HI Banff Alpine Centre and Banff Mountaintop Flowers are the latest recipients of the Zero Waste Trailblazer Awards, a recognition for Banff businesses and institutions that go above and beyond to reduce, re-use and recycle.

HI Banff Alpine Centre
As a hostel located on Tunnel Mountain in the heart of the national park, the HI Banff Alpine Centre considers environmental sustainability to be one of their core responsibilities. The hostel works tirelessly to minimize their footprint within their own operations while educating their guests on how to participate and be a part of the solution.

The Trailblazers Selection Committee was very impressed with the work done by the team at the HI to measure their waste footprint by conducting a waste audit and then set targets for reducing landfill garbage by implementing proper compost and recycling systems. As they depend on the participation of their guests, proper sorting bins and clear signage was instrumental to ensure it was easy to participate and that items are sorted correctly in communal kitchen areas.

Guests are also given the opportunity to join in on environmental stewardship efforts through the hostel’s organized community cleanups, where participation is rewarded with a free burger & drink. The hostel also collaborates with local community organization Banff Food Rescue to save any food that is leftover at the end of a distribution night and ensures it gets eaten by guests.

If you visit the HI Banff Alpine Centre, or other HI hostels in the area, you will see lots of engaging educational signage that outlines that organization’s ambitious goals to prioritize zero waste and sustainability. Staff who live on site also walk the talk by diverting all waste for compost and recycling in their accommodations.

HI team Remi Lambeau and Alex King

Banff Mountaintop Flowers?
Banff Mountaintop Flowers is the latest recipient of the Zero Waste Trailblazer Awards, a recognition for Banff businesses and institutions that go above and beyond to reduce, re-use and recycle.

There’s a lot to celebrate at Banff Mountaintop Flowers when it comes to moving toward zero waste and minimizing their carbon footprint. Dynamic duo Ian & Christine have cultivated a culture of sustainability which has clearly translated to their small but passionate team of florists.

The flower shop, located in Wolf & Bear Mall, took on a leadership role in helping to introduce the building’s compost program to ensure their plant scraps didn’t end up in the landfill. The team has also swapped a variety of their products to be greener including changing plastic packaging to paper, ribbon to twine, and Styrofoam for compostable agrowool floral foam.

If you order a bouquet from Banff Mountaintop Flowers, it will be covered with a certified compostable bag which can be re-used for your food scraps at home. If you need a vase, you can feel free to take one of the re-used ones available through their glass vase “bring back” program. Wondering what happens to the flowers that are just used for a single-night event? Fear not, they are often re-directed to local long-term care facilities or the hospital for others to enjoy.

In addition to waste, Banff Mountaintop Flowers reduces their carbon footprint by purchasing their flowers as locally as possible, avoiding products that are imported from far away, and making local deliveries on their super sleek cargo e-bike which also saves them costly fuel bills & time!

Zero Waste Trailblazers are selected based on 10 categories and 20 certification criteria relating to waste reduction and diversion practices, measured results, and related environmental protection initiatives. The categories are listed at banffzerowastetrail.ca/commercial. Businesses must score higher than 16 points (80%) to achieve Trailblazer status.
Is your workplace on the Zero Waste Trail? email zero.waste@banff.ca to get involved and help protect the park for future generations to come.
See how you measure up! Email zero.waste@banff.ca for a waste assessment!

Banff Mountaintop Flowers team Christine and Ian Kaufmann

Hugging Trees at the Farmer’s Market!

Amal, the Town’s Environmental Intern, has been spending Wednesdays at the farmers market distributing compost bins to residents and chatting with both locals and visitors about environmental solutions. We’ve heard lots of positive feedback from residents who say, “this shows that the town really cares” and “it is amazing that the town is providing compost bins for free!”

A total of 150 smiling residents have come to pick up their free compost bin from the market, and many more engaged with Amal on topics varying from climate change solutions to the life cycle of leaf miners. The Town is also collaborating with Banff Farmers Market Manager Rene Geber’s grassroot movement tree-huggers that offers reusable mugs to be used around the market along with a free tote station.

The Library of Things brings home two awards

Our friends at the Banff Public Library recently won two awards for the Library of Things. The Banff Public Library was the recipient of the "Making a Difference Award" at the most recent Marigold Library System Conference as well as the Punch Jackson Award of Excellence in Library Service from the Library Association of Alberta. These awards recognize and celebrate excellence and innovation in library services such as programming, outreach, advocacy and public relations, partnerships, and innovative use of technology. The Banff Public Library has been an early mover in item sharing and repair initiatives and is a critical asset in Banff’s efforts to share, repair and reuse. Congratulations to the Banff Public Library team on such great work.