By the numbers

Posted by Magda
5,542: tonnes of yard waste the city received last year
10,821: tonnes of recyclables received from within Guelph
19,837: tonnes of recyclables received from other municipalities
63,104: tonnes of non-recyclables the city received

At the city's recycling plant, 61 per cent of what was received was recycled.

This information comes from the city's annual reports. There's no number in there for the city's overall rate of diverting trash from landfill. But by my calculation, the city dealt with 99,294 tonnes of waste and recyclables last year. Of that, they sold 26,199 tonnes for recycling. That gives a diversion rate of 26.4%.

In 2003, the city's diversion rate was 58%; in 04 it was 53%; in 05 it was 55%. Across the province, it was 27% in 2003.