The Town of Hampstead has created its first-ever environmental awareness program, the Green Patrol, so that residents can learn to be more aware of their ecological footprint.

As part of the project, which started on June 7, patroller Simon Liu will run a kiosk in Hampstead Park and go door to door to talk with residents about issues like rainwater management, recycling, composting, waste management and the dangers of the emerald ash borer.

Liu, a Université de Montréal student, told Global News many residents don’t understand how to properly clean plastics, compost or conserve water.

Watering grass, for instance, should only be done from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “because of the heat,” he said. “The water just evaporates.”

Items that can be recycled include:

• Paper and cardboard: Newspapers, aluminium foil, circulars, magazines, phone books, packing cardboard, boxes, milk, juice and egg cartons. (Excluding: Polystyrene, diapers, wax paper, cellophane, soiled pizza boxes, paper towels, tissue paper.)
• Plastic: Plastic bags, bottles and rigid containers only. (Excluding: Clear cake wrappers, brown cookie dividers, records, cassette and compact disc cases, toys, pool liners, computer parts.)
• Metal: Tin cans, aluminium plates and beverage cans, coat hangers. (Excluding: Pipes, bicycles, fans, pots, large items, spray cans, not completely empty paint or solvent containers, etc.)’
• Glass: Bottles and glass jars. (Excluding: Porcelain, ceramics, clay, windowpane, mirrors, light bulbs.)

Items that can be composted include:

• Kitchen scraps (vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, bones, eggshells, coffee grounds and filters),
• Cardboard egg cartons,
• Soiled pizza boxes,
• and other biodegradable household waste.

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“There’s really a lot of money we can save by composting, but it’s also a way to give a new value to what’s being trashed,” Liu explained.

Residents told Global News the program was a welcome addition to Hampstead’s summertime slate.

“What I learned recently is that there are certain plastics that can actually be recycled and not be put in the garbage,” said Jerry Tarasofsky, a Hampstead resident.

“We were putting plastic bags, etc in the garbage. We didn’t know what to do with them.”

The project is expected to last until early August.

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