Green Deal

December 2nd, 2019

Three Good reasons to recycle your old batteries  (before the holiday rush!)

Green Deal Christmas Battery

The decorations are coming out, and it won’t be long before new battery-powered devices arrive under the tree. Now is a good time to clean out the drawers of all those old batteries that are dead, dying or somewhere in between. But you should never put them in the garbage! Here are three good reasons to recycle your batteries right at London Drugs.

1. Batteries can contain toxic materials.

From toxic chemicals to heavy metals, battery recycling helps keep potentially toxic materials from entering the waste stream. Besides taking up space in landfill, improperly disposed batteries can threaten wildlife and cause unnecessary fires.

2. Many kinds of batteries can be recycled.

We usually think of the classic D, C, AA or AAA cylindrical battery first, but there are a wide variety of other types that can be recycled. London Drugs accepts “button” style batteries, rechargeable NiCad and Lithium Ion batteries and all other types of single use batteries up to 5 kg. . (For larger batteries or car batteries which are NOT accepted at our stores, check the Canadian Battery Association website and enter your postal code for the nearest drop-off point)

3. Recycling materials is easier on the environment.

Batteries contain elements like nickel, cobalt and lithium which require extensive resources to mine and process. Recycling helps reclaim these re-useable metals and chemicals from the original battery, reducing the impact and carbon footprint of sourcing virgin materials.
Once your batteries are picked up for recycling, they are sorted and materials are reclaimed for use in the manufacturing of new products, including new batteries, watches, golf clubs and small appliances.

A few notes on properly recycling your batteries:

Household batteries can be dropped off at your local London Drugs store.
Single-use (alkaline) batteries should be separated from rechargeables.
Its a good idea to protect the terminal end of rechargeable batteries with a small piece of masking tape or duct tape.

If a battery is swollen, corroded, leaking or damaged: Immediately store it in a non-flammable material such as sand or kitty litter in a cool, dry place. Then, place the battery (one per bag) in a clear sealable plastic bag and take it to your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) recycling centre. Do not throw it in the garbage for any reason.

For more information about safe battery recycling visit Call2Recycle.ca

October 18th, 2019

Recycle Beyond the Blue Box – a Challenge a Day for Waste Reduction Week.

Most Canadians are now very familiar with local ‘Blue Box’ recycling. But there is a whole list of things NOT covered by municipal programs that you can divert from landfill. If you bought these items at London Drugs (or are replacing them with new items on the same shopping trip) you can bring them to your local London Drugs. Here are 7 ideas, one for each day of Waste Reduction Week 2019 (October 21-27)

Batteries
Batteries of any kind really shouldn’t end up in the garbage. They contain metals and chemicals that can be toxic and are actually very reusable. Alkaline, rechargeable, AA, AAA, C, D and button batteries can all be dropped off at London Drugs, and you can even bring in specialty batteries from your computer, camera, or other small electronics.

Smoke Alarms
It’s really important to replace old smoke alarms for your family’s safety. But did you know they actually contain a minute amount of radioactive material? Obviously something that should not end up in our landfills! Just bring old smoke alarms to London Drugs when you’re buying a new one and we’ll make sure they are responsibly recycled.

Computers
Not only does your computer contain valuable materials like gold, silver and platinum, it also contains your data! Bring it to London Drugs’ technical department on your next computer shopping trip for data-secure recycling. Find out more here.

Cables, Cords & Chargers
Who doesn’t have a drawer full of old attachments for electronics that have long since departed? If you don’t know what it plugs into anymore, and you are buying some new tech, bring it to London Drugs. We’ll make sure it’s recycled right.

Headphones & Speakers
These bits of electronics seem to multiply in closets and cupboards as well. Bring in any old headphones and portable speakers you bought from us and we’ll help make sure any recyclable materials are recovered.

Light Bulbs
From old incandescents to Compact Fluorescents and even LED’s, light bulbs can be recycled to recover glass, plastic, and metal, and properly dispose of any toxic materials. On your next trip to pick up light bulbs, just package up the old ones carefully in a sturdy zip-style bag or cardboard box and bring them to us. You can even bring in fluorescent tubes up to 4ft long.

Medications, Medicines and Vitamins

Whether it’s prescription pills or expired over-the-counter cough medicine, old medications should NEVER be thrown in the garbage or flushed. Water treatment systems are not designed to remove these complex chemicals, and they end up in our waterways and oceans. Bring any unwanted meds and wellness products to your London Drugs pharmacist for safe disposal.

Recycling Rules & Etiquette
Help make recycling work for everyone by following these simple guidelines:

Please make sure your recycling is clean
Household recycling only – no commercial loads or large quantities
Please respect our maximum quantities and any recycling centre closures

October 3rd, 2019

How to recycle your computer without recycling your personal data.

These days we use our computers for a lot more than writing essays and surfing the web. From family photos to names, addresses and log-in information, personal data is sprinkled throughout our hard drives. Add financial information from online purchases and banking and your old computer could be a treasure trove for identity thieves.

You can never fully erase a hard drive.

“There’s a common misconception when you reformat a hard drive that your data is completely erased,” says Jennifer Rinfret, Business Unit Manager for Technical Services at London Drugs, “Unfortunately there are technically savvy people out there with bad intent who are capable of going back into a reformatted hard drive and retrieving your personal data. You really need to fully destroy the hard drive to keep your data secure.”

Adobe Stock

Know where your recycling goes.

Not all recyclers are the same. Security levels and processes vary widely from place to place. It can be even more dangerous to just dump a computer in the alley or garbage. “If you’re just dumping your computer anywhere to be recycled, you really are putting your data at risk.” says Rinfret. “If you want to know it’s being recycled right, bring it to London Drugs.”

London Drugs recycling can make sure your data is secure.

When you bring a data-carrying device to London Drugs technical department for recycling, our team signs it in, removes the hard drive and sends it to be destroyed, usually within 24 hours. All of our electronics recycling partners are certified and have secure processes to properly handle data-carrying technology.
“We have system checks all the way through the process to ensure your data has been destroyed,” Rinfret says, “And all electronics are broken down into raw materials right here in Canada. Come in and visit our computer department. They will take you through the steps and make sure your data is not recycled along with your technology.”

Technician disassembling a computer in Canada at eCycle, a London Drugs recycling partner.

August 27th, 2019

Sharing the Green Deal message on CityTV

London Drugs has been recycling beyond the blue box for over 10 years now, but it’s still a good news story to remind people what they can bring back to their local store for responsible recycling.
London Drugs Sustainability Specialist Raman Johal was interviewed this week and featured by CityTV reporter Andrea McPherson, along with a few of our ‘Green Hero’ customers who happened to be doing their recycling that day.
Check out the CityTV video here to find out more.

August 6th, 2019

Where does your London Drugs recycling REALLY go?

For over 10 years London Drugs has helped people recycle beyond the blue box, taking back batteries, light bulbs, electronics, small appliances, Styrofoam and more right at the store. But recent news articles showing some pretty bad recycling have people wondering, what REALLY happens to their recycling?
So we created a video that takes everything you need to know about where London Drugs recycling goes, and condenses it down to 60 seconds. If you want to know more, scroll down for further details on specific recyclables and processes.

We do our homework. Taking back recycling for 80 stores is no small task. Raman Johal is the London Drugs Sustainability Specialist who helps keep it all running smoothly. Raman and the team research recycling companies, check accreditations, inspect facilities, and choose the best recycling organizations for each kind of material. Then they track every kilo of waste coming from every store. So you can be assured that anything you recycle with London Drugs is processed as responsibly as we can make it.

Batteries: Our battery recycling is handled by Call2Recycle. All batteries are separated by chemistry (the two main types being rechargeable and single-use) and sent to the appropriate North American processor. There they are crushed and melted down in a huge electric-arc furnace. Metals recovered include nickel, cobalt, cadmium, lead, iron, copper and zinc. These are separated for re-manufacturing use in making stainless steel, rubber, paint and even… more batteries! Waste products are responsibly and safely disposed of according to industry and regulatory standards.

Light Bulbs: Our light bulb recycling is handled by Product Care. Lights are separated into their component parts including glass, metal and plastic. Hazardous materials such as mercury from fluorescent lights, are treated and properly disposed of.

Electronics and Small Appliances: Our electronics recycling partners include eCycle Solutions and GEEP with locations in BC and Alberta. All electronics and small appliances brought to London Drugs are disassembled in Canada, broken down into plastics, metals, glass and circuit boards. Computers and data carrying devices are tracked and all hard drives and data safely destroyed. Glass, plastic and metal are recycled or sold and shipped as commodities for re-manufacturing. Circuit boards are smelted to recover precious metals.

Hard and Soft Plastics: Plastic bags and residential hard plastics are sorted and baled. All residential plastic collected in BC is processed locally by RecycleBC. Companies like Merlin Plastics handle this material, turning it into plastic pellets for manufacturing. In this type of process, bales are opened and inspected, then material is ground up and separated in huge water tanks into ‘floatable’ and ”unfloatable material. Solid plastic pieces are heated and washed to remove labels and glue, then separated once again by density in a centrifuge. This purified plastic is then extruded and made into pellets that can be used to make new plastic products.

Paper and Cardboard: London Drugs’ paper and cardboard recycling is handled by Cascades Recovery, with sorting and baling facilities in Surrey, BC. Some of this recycling is used by Cascades to produce paper products such as 100% Recycled FLUFF toilet tissue, which we sell in our stores.

The London Drugs team really appreciates all the hard work our processors do to ensure that materials are handled safely, efficiently and economically. We also thank YOU, our recycling customers, for making the extra effort to recycle it right. So if you have recycling beyond the blue box, bring it to London Drugs, and remember these 3 steps:

Learn what can be recycled in your area
Clean your recyclables of any contamination, and
Separate your waste properly for better recycling.

Recycling it right only takes a minute.

May 29th, 2019

Drink better water AND reduce your plastic waste; Recycle your Brita filters at London Drugs.

Adobe Stock

London Drugs and Brita are making it easier than ever to stay hydrated sustainably. First of all, you are making a real difference by filtering your own water rather than buying it in plastic. One Brita filter can replace as many as 300 plastic bottles.

When it’s time to change the filter, just bring the old one to London Drugs and drop it off for responsible recycling the next time you’re buying new filters. In partnership with Terracycle, Brita filters are collected and recycled into different products or manufacturer-ready raw materials. Since the launch of the program, 10,826 Brita filters have been recycled into affordable, environmentally- friendly products.

So filter out the chlorine odour and contaminants, enjoy fresher tasting water anytime and reduce your plastic footprint. Isn’t that refreshing?

Take a look at Brita pitchers, water bottles, and filters available at London Drugs.

April 8th, 2019

Meet the 11 Year Old Boy Who Will Inspire You to Dive Deeper Into Recycling.

Mason is only in grade 5, but he is already having a big impact on the planet with his passionate social media project called Mason’s Ocean. He (and his Mom) are also committed London Drugs recyclers.

Bringing Mason’s Story to the Screen

As a BC-based company, London Drugs is passionate about reducing waste, to help benefit our oceans and all the communities we serve. For Earth Month, the London Drugs What’s the Green Deal video team traveled to the Vancouver Aquarium to help Mason share his story.

“When I was 8 years old and I watched the film ‘Sharkwater’, it was then that I realized I had to start helping the ocean,” Mason says. “ He posts frequently on his Mason’s Ocean Facebook page and Instagram feed with interesting ocean and animal facts and tips on how people can make a difference with their own actions. We see how Mason puts his heart into saving the worlds oceans, while dealing with a little heart trouble of his own.

Heart Surgery and Healing

In 2018 Mason faced a challenge, when he and his family discovered he had a heart condition – a narrowing of the aorta. He underwent heart surgery at BC Children’s Hospital and returned stronger than ever.
“When I started feeling better,” Mason says, “ I decided I should keep on posting and spreading the great news of recycling.”

#BePlasticWise – a Global Recycling Challenge

Lately Mason has become more focused on the issue of ocean plastic and helping his family to reduce their waste. He visits the Vancouver Aquarium (an Ocean Wise initiative) and stays on top of the issues through their Plastic Wise program. Mason shares the importance of recycling against a backdrop of spectacular marine environments and amazing ocean plastic education exhibits – including Douglas Copeland’s stunning ‘Vortex’ display.

London Drugs is Mason’s Local Recycling Solution

Mason and his Mom combine their waste recycling with household shopping trips to London Drugs. From plastic bags to batteries, light bulbs and more, it’s a convenient way to responsibly reduce waste. It also marks a real point of difference in the retail industry. Mason’s Mom, Shanna, appreciates the service. “If I can shop at a local, Canadian-owned company. and know that the company is taking the initiative to recycle their products, then Yes!” she says, “I will make the choice to make my purchase dollars count. and I will go to London Drugs.”

When we #recycletogether, the results add up.

In 2018 London Drugs and its customers diverted over 11,000,000 lbs of materials from landfill, including over 1,000,000 lbs of plastic. It’s all part of our commitment to a more sustainable retail future.
Mason’s future plans include getting a PhD in Marine biology and maybe studying environmental law.
“I want to change the laws in favour of the oceans.” he says.
We can’t wait to see what you accomplish, Mason – you are the REAL Green Deal.

Your local London Drugs takes batteries, electronics, small appliances, soft plastics, Styrofoam and more. For the complete list of what you can recycle, visit greendeal.ca.

January 17th, 2019

Home Recycling Zone Makeover: How to make your recycling area cleaner, greener and more beautiful!

Recycling things right is a lot easier if your home recycling zone is organized and looking fresh. Here are some ideas (and products) to help you turn your recycling corner from dumping pile to decorator drop zone!

1. List Your Local Recycling Streams . Regional recycling regulations vary, so look online for the latest on curbside pickup streams for your municipality. This will help you decide how many bins you will need and what sort of space you’ll require. Here are a few links to some of the major municipalities:

2. Choose a Bin System . A set of stackable containers or matching baskets can help your recycling zone feel like a more designed part of your home

Small – For Apartments & Condos: If all you have is the corner of a closet, the Sterilite Weave 3 Drawer Tower is a tidy solution. Combine with a 6L Good Natured Kitchen Compost Collector.

Medium – Perfect for Small Family Living: Sterilite Stacking Drawers are a great modular system that can stack vertically or side by side. Each has a 26L capacity to hold lots of recyclables. Combine with a 7.1L Sureclose Foodscrap Container.

Large – For Bigger Homes and Extended Families: If you have dedicated recycling space in a mud room or garage, consider a set of 39L Tall Recyclers by Good Natured. (They are even made from 90% plant-based materials and no nasty chemicals!) Line with a plastic bag for easy emptying. For compost and food scraps, up-size with the Good Natured 8L Tall Compost Collector.

Decorator – Recycle with Style: If your recycling zone is part of your living area, create a clean, neutral-tone statement with NeatFreak Storage Bins in a NeatFreak Stackable Shelf. Even your compost can dress up with a London Drugs brand compost bin, in grey bamboo or stainless steel finish.

3. Have Fun With Labels: Using your local recycling stream list as a guide, create some custom labels that match your bins. Create and print them on sticker stock from your computer, or make it a family art project. Your recycling, your look!

4. Set up an area for special recycling. There are a lot of things you can recycle beyond what gets picked up at the curb. Your local London Drugs takes batteries, electronics, small appliances, soft plastics, Styrofoam and more. A Good Natured Curbside Recycler Bin makes it easy to grab on your way out the door.

5. Have a Grand Opening! Share your new recycling zone with your family or roommates to make sure everyone knows what goes where. Because now your recycling zone ROCKS!! And that’s the REAL Green Deal!

January 15th, 2019

Organic, Independent, Uncompromising. Nature’s Path is London Drugs’ Sustainable Vendor of the Year.

With it’s focus on organic products, Nature’s Path has been a star in our What’s the Green Deal product information program for over a decade. Now we are proud to say they have been named our Sustainable Vendor of the Year. This recognizes not only their product innovation and popularity with customers, but their commitment to sustainable practices, from the farm to the shelf. Nature’s Path Organic Foods is a privately held, family-owned company, producing Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified breakfast and snack foods, sold in over 50 countries.

London Drugs annual event at Mississauga Living Arts Centre , Nov. 4-5 , 2018.
Peter Bregg Photos

London Drugs Awards Dinner at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto 5, 2018.

Organic – and beyond. As well as scoring highly on waste diversion, supply chain and greenhouse gas emissions, Nature’s Path shows how they go further with their commitments and programs. Here are a few examples:

Nature’s Path is so committed to organic agriculture that they invest in farmland in order to convert it to organic production.
All 3 Nature’s Path manufacturing facilities have achieved Zero Waste certification.
They have set a goal to be completely carbon neutral by 2020.
They maintain an annual commitment of donating $2 million worth of food to those in need.
Every purchase of EnviroKidz products helps support endangered species, habitat conservation and environmental education for kids worldwide. So far they have raised over $3 million.

Sustainable does NOT mean boring! From the power of Pretzel & Peanut Nut Butter Bars to the dark chocolate indulgence of Love Crunch Granola, Nature’s Path product innovation is as impressive as their sustainability. It’s a line of foods that constantly invites customers to try new flavours and experiences.

If you like voting for sustainability with your food purchases, choose Nature’s Path. We did!

January 4th, 2019

Millions of e-commerce parcels and holiday packages are in need of recycling. London Drugs is doing our part by taking back recyclable packaging no matter where it was bought, Jan 1 – 31, 2019.

Last holiday season, Canada Post delivered a record 62 million parcels. (1) That’s a lot of cardboard, over-wrap, bubble wrap and Styrofoam that should be kept out of our landfills. Packaging Recycling Amnesty 2019 is London Drugs’ way of helping people responsibly recycle their recyclable packaging, by letting them simply bring it to one of our stores.

London Drugs customers can already get their packaging recycled for free. Now we’re offering Package Recycling Amnesty to all.

London Drugs has been offering free ‘Bring Back the Pack’ packaging recycling services for London Drugs purchases since 2008. Now, for Package Recycling Amnesty 2019 we are pleased to extend this service, taking back recyclable packaging customers bring in no matter what the origin.

It’s easy. Just gather up your recyclable packaging and bring it to your local London Drugs.

Many locations have a recycling centre right near the front of the store. For stores without a centre, or if you’re just not sure what goes where, just talk to customer service and they’ll help you take care of it.

What types of recyclable packaging can you bring in?

According to some studies, packaging makes up about 30% of household waste. (2) But you might be surprised how much of that can now be responsibly recycled and diverted from landfills, including:.
• Cardboard
• Hard Plastics
• Soft Plastics
• Styrofoam
• Plastic Over-Wrap

In BC stores, you can also bring in Other Flexible Packaging (3)

Through a pilot program with RecycleBC we are accepting a wide variety of flexible plastics including:
• Stand up and Zipper Lock Pouches
• Crinkly Wrappers and Bags, (Including chip bags, bar and candy wrappers)
• Flexible Packaging with Plastic Seal
• Woven Net and Plastic Bags
• Non-Food Protective Packaging
These materials are being used to research the development of new recycling processes and generate engineered fuel.

Sorry, there are some things we can’t accept…

We want to help our customers and families, so we cannot take commercial loads – household packaging only. And store managers may have to refuse some recycling based on material, condition or space available. We hope you understand, and we will do our best to help.

You can recycle a lot more than packaging at your local London Drugs.

We believe we have a responsibility to the communities we serve, and helping reduce waste is a big part of that. So we offer in-store recycling for all of the items listed below:

• Electrical and Electronic goods (TVs, VCRs, computers, printers etc)
• Small Appliances
• Styrofoam, plastic and cardboard packaging from our products
• Cell phones, PDAs and rechargeable batteries
• Alkaline Batteries
• Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL’s) and fluorescent lights up to 4-ft
• Disposable cameras
• Ink jet cartridges
• Laser cartridges
• Metal film canisters
• Plastic bags
• Insurance plastic folders

So if you want a clean start to 2019, start at your local London Drugs.

(1) https://www.canadapost.ca/assets/pdf/aboutus/financialreports/2017_ar_complete_en.pdf

(2) https://www.livescience.com/50581-packaging-no-longer-the-nightmare-some-claim.html

(3) https://greendeal.ca/keeping-other-flexible-plastic-packaging-out-of-landfill-in-bc-%e2%80%a85-things-you-need-to-know

(4) https://recyclebc.ca/what-can-i-recycle

Three Good reasons to recycle your old batteries  (before the holiday rush!)

Recycle Beyond the Blue Box – a Challenge a Day for Waste Reduction Week.

How to recycle your computer without recycling your personal data.

Sharing the Green Deal message on CityTV

Where does your London Drugs recycling REALLY go?

Drink better water AND reduce your plastic waste; Recycle your Brita filters at London Drugs.

Meet the 11 Year Old Boy Who Will Inspire You to Dive Deeper Into Recycling.

Home Recycling Zone Makeover: How to make your recycling area cleaner, greener and more beautiful!

Organic, Independent, Uncompromising. Nature’s Path is London Drugs’ Sustainable Vendor of the Year.

Millions of e-commerce parcels and holiday packages are in need of recycling. London Drugs is doing our part by taking back recyclable packaging no matter where it was bought, Jan 1 – 31, 2019.

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