Municipality of Dysart et al in Ontario Conducts Awareness Project With CCC Funding

The Municipality of Dysart et al is situated in beautiful Ontario cottage country, nestled against the southern edge of Algonquin Provincial Park. With more than half of its 7,298 households considered seasonal, no curbside collection and a two-stream recycling system, the municipality faces challenges when it comes to establishing good recycling habits.

Permanent and temporary residents alike are required to drop off their household waste and recycling at one of the municipality’s five disposal/depot sites while keeping containers and papers separate. Like most places with two-stream recycling, Dysart et al instructs its residents to put cartons in the container stream. But since they are largely made of paper, the distinction remains a challenge for some.

At the end of 2022, the municipality secured $10,750 from Carton Council of Canada to help run a wide-ranging recycling awareness campaign the next year focused primarily on the beginning of the summer holiday season. The campaign featured radio and newspaper ads, local media relations, social media publications, an online waste sorting game and the free distribution of 3,000 reusable recycling carry bags customized with sorting instructions.

Dysart et al distributed 3,000 bags to help residents carry recyclables to depot sites (design freely available to other communities upon request).

Other communities facing similar challenges are welcome to contact CCC to discuss potential funding for their awareness projects.

Play the municipality’s waste sorting game at www.dysartetal.ca/wastegame.

Listen to Dysart et al’s local radio ads.

A sample of the campaign’s social media publications.

The print ad ran in three local papers in mid-June 2023.