Anyone Know Any Hollywood Producers?

For some reason, probably because of all the incredible things that happen at UHN each and every day, I’ve always wanted to present Talkin’ Trash using the imagery of health care as a vehicle for delivering the greening message (I’m also working on a script for a TV pilot called “Ambulatory Clinic”, a sort of mash-up between ER, House, Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy, with a bit of M*A*S*H and Chicago Hope thrown in for historical context…but I digress).

Now I’m not talking about the crude imagery used by the neo-classical trash talkers of the late 20th century (“We must lance the boil of waste in society!” – how gauche), but rather the high-art styling’s of the trash renaissance period.  Problem is, when it comes to the latest recycling update…I have no idea what that means.

So instead, we’re going to have a contest.

Below are a few bullet points outlining the message we need to get across.  Whoever comes up with the bestest (bestliest?) words and sends them to us by midnight, October 31, (oohhh, scary) gets a UHN travel mug and their work posted in the Talkin’ Trash blog…and if you can use at least three medical type words that I need to Google, we’ll throw in a water bottle too.

So here’s the scoop:

  • UHN uses a private company, not the City of Toronto, to pick-up its recycling.
  • Because we use a private company for our recycling, some of the “rules” are different.
  • One of the major rule differences is that, at UHN, metal/glass/plastic (e.g., bottles, cans, containers, packaging, etc.) cannot be mixed with paper in our recycling bins; they must be kept separate.
  • If metal/glass/plastic is mixed with paper in recycling bins, our cleaning staff are supposed to throw the entire contents to the garbage; they don’t have time to sort our 21,000 pounds of garbage a day, it could be unsafe sticking hands into waste and recycling bins (not to mention…ick!), and we need to make sure our big loads of recyclables are not mixed together.
  • What has happened recently is that our Environmental Services staff have started putting clear bags of metal/glass/plastic, that have been tied shut, into the same compactor (a big box that squishes stuff) as paper and/or cardboard.
  • The key difference is that the metal/glass/plastic is in a bag; when the compactor is emptied at the transfer station (a fancy name for the place where recyclables are transferred from compactors into big trucks), clear bags of metal/glass/plastic can be seen and easily separated from paper.  Metal/glass/plastic is sent one way for recycling, paper is sent another.
  • Somehow, the process of clear bags of metal/glass/plastic being put in the paper/cardboard compactor has translated into people thinking that metal/glass/plastic can be placed in our paper recycling bins…not true!!!
  • If you hear of new recycling rules and have any, any, any, any, questions, please contact Energy & Environment – that’s what we’re here for.

Okay – so if that’s not dramatic enough for you…well, you have to wait for another contest.  But if your creative juices are flowing, then send us your renaissance styling’s by midnight, October 31 (oohhh, scary) for your chance to turn trash into winnings…or at least a coffee cup.

-ed

Links to the Inside (will only work on UHN computers)

Links to the Outside

  • Sure the Feds may have their Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and the Province might be blowing up a storm with its Green Energy Act…but the level of government that has the greatest effect on your environment (think transit, think energy programs, think bike lanes) is municipal . Now in the name of good ol’ fashioned coverage of the behind, we at Talkin’ Trash will not espouse or delouse the virtues of any candidate…that and the fact that I ain’t touchin’ this one with a ten foot free range, organic pole. But we will encourage you to familiarize yourself with the issues (if you get a chance, pick-up the latest issue of Spacing Magazine – http://spacing.ca/magazine/issue-19/) and to vote…you can’t lose either way; either you back a winner, or you’ve earned the right to complain.
  • Make your Halloween Green – and not just by eating those funny looking candies left over from last year (http://www.ewg.org/healthyhometips/halloweentips?utm_source=halloweenfull&utm_medium=email&utm_content=first-link&utm_campaign=hht)