It appears that Toronto's sticky summer garbage strike is shortly coming to an end. For five weeks, residents of Canada's largest city have done without waste collection services with their daily refuse piling up in their front lawns and stoops. Across Canada, citizens have renewed gratitude at the miracle of weekly pick up. But what other lessons can cities learn from the Toronto strike of 2009?

Firstly, you don't have to live in Toronto to start reducing. A group of Vancouverites have just completed a one year zero waste challenge. Three roommates pledged to limit their garbage as much as possible. They reduced their consumption to essentials, concentrated on the packaging of it^H;ems they did purchase and recycled everything they could. The collected waste for the household of three totaled only 12 pounds over twelve months.

Torontians are also getting creative about ways to reduce their waste. Blogto lists all the ways people are cutting down on waste.   Mark Batkus at Greenworkslinks offers these ten helpful hints:

1. Ditch the paper towels and napkins
2. Avoid disposable products
3. Use your own shopping bags
4. Buy in bulk
5. Compost your organic waste
6. Brown bag it to work. Avoid fast food restaurants.
7. Use a travel mug for that commute cup of joe
8. Use concentrates
9. Change your habits
10. Most importantly, buy what you need and use what you buy.
    

Finally, I would like to recommend the new film Garbage: The Revolution Starts at Home, by Canadian Film maker, Andrew Nisker

"Concerned for the future of his new baby boy Sebastian, writer and director Andrew Nisker takes an average urban family, the McDonalds, and asks them to keep every scrap of garbage that they create for three months. He then takes them on a journey to find out where it all goes and what it's doing to the world."

Resource Conservation Manitoba has long promoted zero waste as a fundamental principle. To find more ideas about reducing your waste see our website:  and stay tuned for Waste Reduction Week in October.