St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association Waste Reduction Group

The WRG is a highly active non-profit group operating in downtown Toronto, and our events and other initiatives focus on raising environmental awareness and reducing waste in our local communities. Toward this end, we host a triennial event called REmarket, the purpose of which is to encourage our local communities to rethink their consumption and disposal habits while promoting a circular, equitable, accessible economy in which all individuals are empowered. At this event, we collect post-consumer items for donation, run a totally free market (called FreeMarket), repair common household items and bikes (with the help of Repair Cafe Toronto and organizations such as Charlie's Free Wheels and CultureLink Bike Hub), raise awareness about waste reduction and other environmental concerns, and collect difficult-to-recycle items. REmarket, which is held in the temporary tent of the St. Lawrence Market, draws in hundreds of donors and FreeMarket visitors per event, and we have saved ~75,000+ lbs of usable goods from being sent to landfill in the three years since we started hosting these events.