Staff at Calgary’s Southcentre Mall are offering an opportunity for Calgarians to do some spring cleaning on Saturday while also learning about recycling in the process.
Beginning at 10 am, Calgarians will be able to bring their recyclables – including scrap metal, electronics and clothing – to the mall’s southeast parking lot, near CIBC. Village Electronics Recycling and Federal Metals Inc., two of Southcentre’s partners for the Earth Day event, will collect waste there.
After dropping off their recyclables, families are invited to head inside to learn more about recycling in Calgary, let children exercise their creative sides at an Earth Day art station and take photos with a giant picture frame made entirely out of recycled materials.
“As a community-minded shopping centre, we believe we have a role to play in promoting and facilitating initiatives that will protect and preserve both our local community and our planet,” said Alexandra Velosa, marketing manager at Southcentre Mall in a release.
“Recycling and upcycling directly contribute to a circular economy that reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills, prevents pollution caused by the collection of new raw materials, conserves natural resources, saves energy and so much more.”
In 2020, Canada contributed 877,000 metric tons of electronic waste, with only 20 per cent of that material being recycled, officials said. When it comes to metal, while it is one of the most recyclable materials, officials say only 32 per cent of what is collected is recycled.
The event runs until 2 pm