Toronto Environmental Alliance

Last week TEA launched our "A Thought for your Pennies" drive to collect 2.5 million pennies for the environment. Since then, TEA members have been dropping off pennies at our office. We've also had a number of our members offer to collect pennies at their schools and workplaces! While we still have a long way to go, we're well on our way to collecting one penny for each Torontonian!

1. Bring them to TEA during regular office hours. (Please call ahead at 416-596-0660.)
2. We'll come to you to collect them at the end of April. Call us to arrange for a volunteer to pick them up.
3. Stay tuned for local drop-off locations. (If your business is willing to host a drop-off spot, please give us a call!)

On April 21, some Torontonians will be joining the Mayor inCommunity Clean-up events across the City. While the urge to pitch in is great, it's important for us to remember what we're picking up. The vast majority of litter in Toronto is coffee cups, newspapers and food packaging. (Plastic bags used to be a bigger litter problem before the plastic bag fee was introduced, reducing disposable shopping bag use by up to 70%).

While the companies that make this disposable packaging profit from the sales, our municipal budgets, residents and our local environment have to deal with picking up their trash!

Provincial Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws make manufacturers responsible for the full life cycle of the products they create. For example, the cost of Blue Box collection and recycling is partly funded by the companies that sell products that go in the Blue Box.

We need far more comprehensive EPR laws in Ontario, and the good news is that the Province is moving in that direction!