What is Climate Change?

Climate Change is the change in long-term weather activity through the fluctuation of Greenhouse Gases by natural and human activity. This can be measured through the change in average and extreme...

What is Curbside Collection?

Curbside collection is a service provided to households for the disposal of refuse. In this service, trucks collect waste and deliver it to either a landfill or a recycling plant where it is proce...

What is Compost/Organics?

Compost/organics is the use of biodegradable waste that usually can’t be recycled and using it to provide nutrients for plants. Typically used for gardens and farming, composting provides plants...

What is a Composition Audit?

A Composition Audit is designed to help you collect information on the contents of each of your collection Streams. The audit consists of emptying bags of Refuse from each Stream, ...

What is a Capacity Estimate?

The Capacity Estimate method is the most popular method of entering in data for the Resource Center, as it is the most practical and efficient way of submitting data at the station level. This data...

What is a Cap and Trade System?

A Cap and Trade System is a trading system that is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this system, a limit or cap is set on emissions and is then decreased by small amounts at a time. ...

What is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)?

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a technique to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through storing it underground. It has been popular in the energy sector, where fossil fue...

What is a Carbon Credit?

A Carbon Credit is a form of emission reduction that plays into the cap and trade programs. It places a monetary amount on emitted carbon through the form of a credit.

In a c...

What is the Carbon Cycle?

The Carbon Cycle is the environmental system that describes the movement of carbon from organisms to the atmosphere and back. Carbon plays an important role on the Earth as all organisms are made ...

What is a Carbon Footprint?

A Carbon Footprint is an image used to represent the amount of carbon dioxide emitted both directly and indirectly by humans. It is useful in determining the impact one has on the environment as t...

What is Carbon Leakage?

Carbon leakage is an occurrence in climate change policy where carbon emissions from one country are increased because of reductions in another. This is usually due to companies moving from the re...

What is Carbon Neutral?

Carbon Neutral is the idea of making products or doing actions that will have no net greenhouse gas emissions. These measures can include:

- Energy reduction: using machinery...

What are Carbon Offsets?

Carbon Offsets are voluntary measures to counter the greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted by a person or entity. This is often in the form of a credit that represents the reductions of one en...

What is Carbon Sequestration?

Carbon Sequestration is a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere for long term storage in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean also referred to as carbon sinks. T...

What is a Carbon Sink?

Carbon Sinks are natural parts of the carbon cycle that absorb carbon from the atmosphere. These sinks are made up of oceans, soils and plants. Plants rely on carbon as a part of a process called ...

What is Carbon Trading?

Carbon Trading is a market-based system under cap and trade programs that aims to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. In this system, countries with high carbon dioxide emissions can purchase the r...

What is the Certified Emissions Reduction (CER)?

A Certified Emissions Reduction, also known as CER, is a certificate issued by the United Nations to member nations for preventing one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions. These are usually issued t...

What is the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)?

The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) is the world’s first, and North America’s only, voluntary and legally binding greenhouse gas trading market. Since 2003, it has been the trading center for s...

What is the Clean Air Act?

The Clean Air Act was a bill passed by the United States Congress in 1970 with major revisions in 1977 and 1990. The act outlines regulations for air quality and the ozone layer above American ter...

What is Clean Energy?

Clean energy is energy that is produced through methods that do not release greenhouse gases or any other pollutants. Clean energy can be generated from renewable sources li...

What are Clean Fuels?

Clean Fuels are fuels that are treated with ethanol to produce fewer greenhouse emissions. There are numerous types of clean fuels based on the percentage of the ethanol or biodiesel mixed with co...

What is Clearcutting?

Clearcutting is a method of tree removal where all trees in an area (approximately 20 acres or more) are removed. It's the most common form of tree removal due to it being the easiest and most eff...

What is Closed-Loop Recycling?

Closed-Loop recycling is a recycling process where a recyclable item that has reached its end life is recycled into new product. This is commonly used my manufacturers of recyclable products and c...

What are Composting Facilities?

Composting Facilities are locations where organic municipal solid waste is collected and stored in a controlled setting. The stored materials can be used as compost fertilizer for plants. These w...

What is Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)?

Compressed Natural Gas is a gasoline alternative for motor vehicles that is considered more environmentally viable as it produces low hydrocarbon emissions and vapours that are not ozone producing....

What is the Consumption Footprint?

Compressed Natural Gas is a gasoline alternative for motor vehicles that is considered more environmentally viable as it produces low hydrocarbon emissions and vapours that are not ozone producing....

What are Centralized Recycling & Waste Bins?

Centralized Recycling & Waste Bins are the focal point of any collection program. If you’re looking to improve your program, you start by making sure you have the correct central...

What are Commercial Recycling & Waste Bins?

Once you've filled your Deskside Bin with ev...

How to Recycle CFL Light Bulbs

CFLs should be recycled in hazardous waste facilities and are not accepted in curbside recycling programs. To recycle CFLs in hazardous waste facilities, there are many different drop-off programs ...

What is Capacity?

Capacity is frequently used in the Resource Center and it is used to describe the volume of each container. The Resource Center allows the user to measure the...

What is a Circular Economy?

The definition of a circular economy is ensuring the maximum usage of resources then being able to recover and regenerate the materials at the end of a produc...