Metcalfe library wins award for waste diversion
Posted Feb 19, 2010 By Charelle Evelyn
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Tweet ThisEMC News-The Metcalfe branch of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) has been recognized for making the city a greener place. The branch was one of four to receive a Waste Diversion Achievement Award from the City of Ottawa for their outstanding recycling efforts.
Out of 30 facilities monitored, Metcalfe, along with Centennial, Rosemount and Blackburn Hamlet, diverted more than 60% of their waste. Metcalfe kept 81% out of a landfill.
Most of the waste at the library is paper and all of it is recycled, said Linda Standing, a public service manager who accepted the award on behalf of the branch.
"We also recycle plastic material, but paper is the biggest waste," she said.
Along with double-sided printing, Metcalfe staff also cut up previously used paper for scrap notes. When the time comes to remove items from the shelves, books that have potential for reuse are given to the Friends of the OPL organization, which resells them. That money is diverted back to library.
For branch the size of Metcalfe, the recognition means a lot, Ms. Standing said.
"It's often the larger branches that are getting recognition for various things," she said, adding that it was "heartening" for the staff and patrons to have the acknowledgement that Metcalfe plays an important role.
Last April, Ottawa city council approved the Diversion 2015 strategy, which called on the city to establish a plan to address waste diversion in its own facilities, with a goal of 60% of materials kept out of landfills. The audit conducted that summer was the first time these results were captured.
Despite not having a focus on waste diversion in the past, Ms. Standing said that the library staff would likely have had the same results.
"The staff might have been a little bit more conscientious, but (the recycling) was basically already in place for Metcalfe," she said.
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