For Immediate Release - Friday May 24, 2019 

The Guelph Tool Library presents Re:Purpose Fest, a community recycling event and barbeque on Saturday June 29 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Tytler Public School (131 Ontario Street).  Attendees at Re:Purpose Fest will be able to recycle many items that normally end up in the landfill or learn about unique ways to repurpose items.

Guelph Tool Library Zero Waste Coordinator Stephanie Clarke stated that “Re:Purpose Fest is the ideal companion to the programs we have run this year . Since September we have been running a workshop series that allows participants to cut down on waste and creatively reuse everyday items, all while learning about how waste is processed in our city and beyond.”

Representatives from the City of Guelph Solid Waste Resources  Department will be on hand to speak about what can be recycled in Guelph.  Shelley Lorenz, Waste Management Policy Analyst says that “Recycling plays a huge part in reducing Guelph’s environmental footprint, and the success of our recycling program is truly a community effort. We look forward to connecting with our community at Re:Purpose Fest on how recycling works in Guelph and the many ways they can be a good sort!”  

Visitors to Re:Purpose Fest will also learn about the City of Guelph’s on-line Waste Wizard tool.

Additional tables and displays will be set up to collect items and provide information about what is being recycled. The complete list of what is being recycled is available on the Guelph Tool Library’s website.  Re:Purpose Fest organizer John Dennis said “there are many unique ways to repurpose or recycle consumer goods that often are just thrown away. We hope that people will drop by Re:Purpose Fest for the barbeque and learn about some of the interesting recycling programs we have found.”

Some of the items being collected at Re:Purpose Fest include small toy parts, mascara wands, suitcases, and wine corks.  Books, in particular children’s books, will be collected for a program that supports inmates in local jails. Blankets, towels, and sheets will be collected for the Guelph Humane Society.  School supplies and arts and crafts materials will be collected for the Two Rivers Neighbourhood Group Backpack Program and the Creation Station. Cell Phones are being collected on behalf of the Toronto Zoo to protect habitat for great apes in Central Africa.

David Bruce & Associates Insurance and Financial Services (The Co-operators) is sponsoring child car seat recycling.  Normally costing about $15 a seat, all seats collected at Re:Purpose Fest will be recycled for free. Car seats go to ATMO in Oakville which disassembles the seats and recycles almost all the parts.

Another uncommon item being recycled is VHS tapes.  Since their introduction in 1970s, over 2 billion VHS tapes have been solid in Canada.  The vast majority end up in the landfill even though over 80% of the VHS tape is recyclable.  Working with Red Propeller, the Guelph Tool Library will be collecting and recycling these tapes for a “pay what you can” fee.

Guelph Tool Library Zero Waste Coordinator Stephanie Clarke adds that “recycling is often seen as something that we are bystanders in. We know to put certain items in our blue bins with the hope that they become something new, but it's a pretty 'hands-off' process, we don't always consider what could be made with those goods that we can or can't recycle. An event like Re:Purpose Fest will help give a larger scope to recycling and provide the community with the chance to actively participate in the recycling and reusing process, and demonstrate the importance of careful consumerism.”

About the Guelph Tool Library

The Guelph Tool Library started in 2016.  We have built our membership to over 350 members and acquired over 700 tools.  All the tools in the library have been donated or purchased through donations and are maintained by volunteers.  With a low cost membership of $40/year, community members gain access to a wide variety of tools.  Tool Libraries reduce the carbon foot print of tool use by offering an alternative way to work with and share tools.  They can be contacted at info@guelphtoollibrary.org

About Transition Guelph

Transition Guelph is a group of citizens coming together as volunteers to promote processes and projects for strengthening community resilience and economic vitality. Each project associated with Transition Guelph is initiated by an interested community member, and grows according to local needs and resources. Our goal is to create a richer, more vibrant community through the re-localization of the services and resources that we need in order to survive and thrive in a world of long-term energy cost increases, climate change, and growing instability in the world economy.  They can be contacted at info@transitionguelph.org

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