“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” - Robert Swan

Sustainability in Eastwood

Sustainability is at the forefront of our neighbourhood association. We need to do our part to improve our corner of Kitchener and share best practices with others so that we can leave a sustainable future for the next generation.

  • Dedicated Environmental Management Consultant: We’re lucky to have a dedicated member leading our sustainability efforts who has many years of professional experience. Connie Lum volunteers her time driving these efforts within our neighbourhood and connecting with other neighbourhood associations to share best practices, including connecting us with REEP Green Solutions who enable us with sustainability initiatives.

Our TerraCycle RECYCLING PROGRAM

In 2022 ENAK launched a recycling program powered by TerraCycle. Bins are placed at the entrance of our Rockway Community Centre to enable the community to collect household items that would normally end up in the waste centre.

  1. Oral Hygiene products such as used toothbrushes, emptied toothpaste tubes, floss containers, and picks. Be sure to dry items before drop off.

  2. Disposable razor products including blade cases, etc.

  3. Swiffer refills

  4. Brita Prodcuts

  5. Batteries

Partnering:

  • It would take a while for 1 household to fill up a TerraCycle box but together, we are diverting materials away from the Region’s waste management site. As the bins fill up, we place the items in a box, seal it, print the shipping label from TerraCycle and drop off at our local UPS Store.

  • The program has expanded to 5 community centres and ENAK along with Reep hosted a webinar to share best practices. Rockway, Downtown Centre, Mill Courtland and Victoria Hills.

  • Our recycling program is receiving TerraCycle Rewards Points. This means, each time you save waste from being tossed into the garbage, ENAK gains rewards. The more waste we divert, the more points we gain. As of Jan 2025 we have diverted over 100 pounds from the landfill.

Did you know you can recycle your shaving products?

ENAK recycling is on the Map!

Click here to open the map and it will show all community centres (including our very own Rockway), retailers, charity org’s and drop-off points around the KW region for your old/reusable items for donation or unusable waste not collected during weekly curbside recycling. This map gives you options on reducing waste going to trash.

Did you know that our neighbourhood association’s recycling program inspired 5 (as of Jan 2022) neighbourhood community centres in adopting the TerraCycle program!
And as of March 2023 you can add Elmira to that list.
Click to read the Article.

ENAK joined the Mike Farwell show on 10/3 to promote our recycling program. Click here to listen at the 1:55 mark

Our Recycling Program is Expanding!

ENAK’s community recycling program partnered with Reep Green Solutions and City of Kitchener Community Centre managers to expand the Terracycle program we launched, to a total of 5 community centres (Rockway, Downtown Centre, Mill Courtland and Victoria Hills)!

ENAK and REEP hosted a webinar to teach other neighbourhoods on how to bring this program to their area. 7pm Oct 12th https://bit.ly/3rhSeEE

Batteries Now Included! All Kitchener community centres collect batteries but with the success of our bins, the city's battery bin has been placed beside ours at the entrance. Here’s a list for each centre:

Rockway Centre: Oral hygiene products, razors, Swiffer refills, batteries
Downtown Centre: Oral hygiene products, batteries, pens & markers, ink cartridges
Mill Courtland Centre: Oral hygiene products, razors, batteries
Victoria Hills centre:
Stanley Park Community centre:

Sustainability Series - Did You Know?

Here are the answers to some questions relating to EV batteries we've all heard and asked!

  • There are 4 main types of batteries used in EVs

  • An EV battery can last much longer than its typical 8-yr warranty. Extend the battery life and maintain battery health by not overcharging (past 80%) and don't let it drain to 0%

  • Yes, EV batteries can be recycled, but with challenges

  • Raw materials to produce the batteries mainly come from China for its graphite; Congo for cobalt; lithium from Australia and nickel from Indonesia

  • While EV manufacturing may require more energy and produce more emissions due to mining metals for batteries, overall, EVs have the lowest life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

  • If you're looking to go net-zero, then it's best to not own a car at all

    More details in the article: Are EV batteries recyclable? Your questions answered | CBC News
    There is also a really cool interactive tool that compares most car models and their lifecycle in terms of GHG emissions: https://www.carboncounter.com /#!/explore

Annual Montgomery Park Clean Up


For many years the neighbours of Eastwood have been volunteering their time to help clean up Montgomery park.
Held every “Earth Day Weekend” at the end of April, on average 40+ people from all around the neighbourhood work to collect bags of garbage. ENAK volunteers hand out gloves and bags provided by the City of Kitchener.

Did you know that one of our neighbours cleans the park every single day of the year? Rain or Shine. Inspiring!

Pumpkin Recycle

In 2021 ENAK promoted a Pumpkin Recycling project where a neighbour dedicated their driveway and time to collect pumpkins (post Halloween) and dropped them off at a local farm. The pumpkins became a tasty treat for two young cows named James and Thistle.