Every few months, I am reminded that we are STILL waste-hogs, despite the multi-coloured bins (green, blue, gray) in our front yards every week... As it stands, we are still dumping our tons of trash in Michigan, but I have a feeling Toronto might find itself in the gutter in the coming months, as the Michigan site is currently discussing raising it's dumping fees by 3000%! You heard right, 3000%! The current .21 cents per ton could go to approx $11 (as per Andy Barrie's discussion with Michigan's Democratic Rep on Metro Morning).

In comparison to other state dumping fees, the .21 cents is ridiculously low, and Michigan is fed up with everyone tossing trash in their backyard. The "everyone" refers to more than just Toronto, since several states including New Jersey prefer to drive their garbage to Michigan, instead of dumping closer to home. According to the Detroit Free Press, the extra revenue that would come from this drastic increase, would be distributed to local governments for recycling, and to improve state trash laws. But the main goal isn't to raise cash, but to kick Canada- and other states- from hauling their trash to Michigan.

My question is: where the hell would this leave Toronto? It's been so easy to play "out of sight, out of mind" with our stinky trash crossing the border for all these years, but Toronto must become more diligent about reducing waste. To get the ball rolling, I have two small waste-reducer tips that have helped me:

1. tin foil is recyclable, don't be shy about tossing it in your blue box. Knowing this, try to use tin foil instead of sandwich bags/plastic wrap when packing a lunch (but your # 1 choice should be a tupperware container).

2. if you are an avid coffee-drinker, invest in a travel mug... this will cut down on dozens of Styrofoam/paper cups, and make you feel like a million bucks every time you get your caffeine fix!