October is Circular Economy Month in Canada. A chance to rethink how we make, buy, use and dispose of the things we rely on every day. 

From “take, make, waste” to a circular economy 

You may be familiar with the traditional linear economy: we take resources from the earth, turn them into products, use them, and eventually throw them away. It’s often described as a “take, make, waste” model. 

You can see this model in everyday products: a fast-fashion T-shirt made from polyester that falls apart after a few wears; a single-use coffee cup used for just 20 minutes before being discarded; or an inexpensive piece of furniture made from materials that are difficult to repair when they break. 

In each case, valuable resources are extracted, turned into products, used for a relatively short time, and ultimately become waste. 

Take the single-use coffee cup as an example. It might only be used for a few minutes, but making it takes resources and energy. Paper needs to be sourced, processed and manufactured, and many disposable cups also contain a plastic lining to make them waterproof. The finished cups then need to be packaged and transported before they reach a coffee shop. 

A circular economy takes a different approach. Instead of treating products as disposable, it asks: How can we keep products and materials in use for as long as possible? 

Circular living can be surprisingly simple 

The circular economy might sound like a big, complicated idea, but many of us are already participating in it. 

It can look like: 

👕 Wearing clothes for longer instead of replacing them every season. 

🧵 Repairing a favourite jacket when it gets a hole rather than throwing it away. 

🛋️ Buying secondhand at the Re-Use-It Centre or finding a new home for furniture and other items you no longer need at the Re-Build-It Centre. 

☕ Choosing a reusable coffee cup through ReUse Whistler instead of using a single-use cup. 

💧 Bringing a reusable water bottle on a hike, bike ride or day around town instead of buying a single-use bottle. 

📚 Borrowing, swapping and sharing things you only need occasionally, such as a sewing machine from the Whistler Public Library or tools from the Re-Build-It Centre’s Tool Library. 

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to get started. Pick one thing and give it a try! 

Food is part of the circular economy, too 

A circular food system looks for ways to keep food and its nutrients in circulation for as long as possible. 

That can include growing food using more sustainable or regenerative practices, buying and cooking food mindfully, redistributing surplus food, and composting food scraps that can’t be eaten. 

When food scraps are composted, they are transformed into nutrient-rich compost that can return organic matter and nutrients to the soil. 

In contrast, when edible food is wasted, we’re not just wasting the food itself. We’re also wasting the water, land, energy, labour and transportation that went into producing and getting that food onto our plates. 

If you need a kitchen compost bin, email zerowaste@whistler.ca. 

Be sure to check your fridge, freezer and cupboards before grocery shopping. Make a meal plan and list to reduce food waste and impulse purchases. 

Closing the loop in Whistler 

Here in Whistler, Big Move 6: Closing the Loop and Shifting Toward Lower Carbon Consumption focuses on finding ways to reduce the emissions associated with the products we use and keeping materials out of the landfill. 

That’s where local reuse and repair opportunities come in. The Re-Use-It Centre and Re-Build-It Centre are great examples of keeping useful items and building materials in circulation rather than sending them to landfill. 

Throughout October, the RMOW is also partnering with AWARE on a series of events designed to help our community put circular economy ideas into practice. 

Join one of these local events to learn a new repair skill, find something secondhand or pass along something you no longer need: 

Repair Cafés: Saturday, October 3 and Thursday, October 29 

📍 Whistler Public Library 

Clothing Swap: Tuesday, October 13  

📍 Nita Lake Lodge 

Garage Sale: Sunday, October 18 

📍 Creekside P1  

A full list of events can be found on the AWARE Events Calendar. 

Small choices add up. Every time we reuse, repair, share, swap, compost and buy thoughtfully, we help keep valuable resources in use and move a little closer to a circular economy here in Whistler.