King Township promotes tree planting and recycling initiatives to combat climate change

Mark Pavilons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, King Weekly Sentinel

Let’s protect our planet by keeping recyclables out of landfills and planting trees to create a greener future! That’s the message King Township is sending in advance of upcoming community tree planting events and several recycling initiatives.Recycling is crucial for several reasons. It helps keep the environment clean by reducing the amount of waste produced and preventing landfills from getting overloaded. Recycling conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals, which are essential for producing new products. It also saves energy. For example, recycling just 10 plastic bottles can save enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps combat climate change. In 2019 King Township joined a growing movement across the world by declaring a climate emergency and adopting a Community Climate Action Plan which includes enhancing recycling in the community. Recycling in King on a regular basis is easy with the Recycling Coach app. Download the app on your mobile devices to receive pick-up reminders, access the “What Goes Where” feature and utilize the image search function to ensure proper disposal of your waste, recycling and green bin items. For more information, visit king.ca/waste. There are also many other ways to keep material out of landfills including: Electronic recycling event (May 3) Drop off your electronic waste (e-waste) items such as televisions, computers, cameras, video game consoles, printers and DVD players – to name just a few items – at the next electronic recycling event being held on Saturday, May 3 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Trisan Centre, 25 Dillane Drive, Schomberg. In 2023 3,934 kg. of e-waste was collected at community events and that number jumped to 5,837 kg collected last year. For a complete list of e-waste that can be recycled, including step-by-step instructions on how to remove all personalinformation from phones and computers, visit king.ca/ElectronicRecycling. Community Yard Sale (May 3) The Community Yard Sale is the perfect place to either sell or find gently used treasures. It takes place the same day as the electronic recycling event (May 3) inside the Trisan Centre. There are still spaces available to purchase. Spaces can be booked for $15 + HST per 6 ft. space, two 6 ft. spaces for $25 +HST, or three 6 ft. spaces for $35 +HST. If you don’t have your own table, you can rent a 6-foot table for $10. Participants have the option to donate any unsold items to the Salvation Army and/or Diabetes Canada onsite upon the event’s completion. Free entry for patrons. For more information, including how to purchase table spaces, visit king.ca/CommunityYardSale. Community tree planting events (May 10) There will also be two tree planting events residents can take part in on Saturday, May 10. The first is at Osin Lions Park in at 200 Western Ave. in Schomberg from 9:30 a.m. to noon followed by another at Dean Plummer Park at 96 Parkheights Trail in Nobleton from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Schomberg planting is in partnership with Neighbourhood Network and Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority and the Nobleton event is in partnership with Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), a non-profit organization that teaches people about trees and gets them excited about the urban forest. Thanks to the funding secured through the York Region Urban Tree Canopy Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation program, 5,500 native trees and shrubs are being planted at Blue Heron Park and Centennial Park. The planting is currently being carried out by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. This initiative aims to enhance the natural environment and improve community well-being. Youth under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult and everyone is being asked to wear closed-toed shoes or boots, gardening gloves and weather-appropriate clothing as the event runs rain or shine. With all these environmental events and initiatives, there are many ways everyone in King can divert material from landfills, pick up a treasure or two and plant a tree to be enjoyed for generations to come. To learn more about King’s ongoing environmental activities throughout the year, visit king/ca/EnvironmentalEvents.

Learn more about our News Monitoring here.