Davidson Environmental

08/28/2026

When More Becomes Too Much

Our fridges are often full, yet so are our green bins.

It's a strange contradiction of modern life: we buy food with good intentions, but life changes faster than our meal plans.

The same thing happens in business.

Customers want options. They want variety, convenience and availability. Businesses respond by offering more choices, more sizes and more products. It makes sense. But sometimes, more becomes too much.

That's where overconsumption comes in.

Overconsumption isn't necessarily about greed. Often, it's about convenience, optimism and abundance. We buy what we think we might need. We prepare a little extra "just in case." We keep more choices available because we don't want to disappoint a customer.

The challenge is that food has a short shelf life.

When that food isn't sold, served or eaten, the resources behind it don't disappear. The water, energy, land, labour, transportation and packaging that went into getting it to the customer have already been used.

So what can businesses do?

The answer isn't necessarily to offer less. It's to become more intentional about how much we offer, how we purchase it and what happens when there is too much.

Small changes can make a difference:

• Look at purchasing patterns and adjust where possible.

• Find creative ways to use surplus food.

• Review portion sizes and preparation quantities.

• Give customers choices without automatically overstocking every option.

• And when food truly can't be used, make sure it is diverted from landfill.

We may not be able to eliminate food waste. And that's okay.

The goal is to make better decisions, one purchase, one order and one bin at a time.

At Davidson Environmental, we see every day that food waste doesn't have to be the end of the story. With the right diversion system, even food that can't be eaten can have another purpose. (check link at top of post)

More isn't always better. Sometimes, better is simply making the most of what we already have.

We would love to hear how you make the most of what you have or how you manage to reduce consumption.

08/21/2026

The Sorting Dilemma
At home, we face a recycling dilemma every week. I sort, prepare and clean our recyclables to ensure that what goes in the bin actually gets recycled.
My husband just tosses items in blue recycling bags. Everything you could imagine goes in. Some examples include unrinsed cans with labels attached, loose plastic bags, plastic bottles, Styrofoam meat trays with plastic wrap still on it or the absorbent pad still stuck on the bottom, paper, cardboard and once in a while an apple core. Really!
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. When we talk about these first-world challenges his response is “it shouldn’t be such a fussy chore to help save our planet.”
If our little bit of household recycling causes stress, can you imagine what frustration sorting large quantities would cause?
Thankfully, our motto at Davidson Environmental is “Chuck it in the Bucket.” This applies to food waste and its packaging because waste systems have to work in the real world.
In a busy commercial kitchen, grocery store, restaurant or food processing facility, expecting employees to stop and separate every piece of packaging from every bit of food waste is not practical. There are time pressures, competing priorities and, yes, human beings involved.
That doesn’t mean sorting and recycling don’t matter. At Davidson Environmental, we believe we need to be realistic about where sorting adds value and where better systems can do the work for us. “Chuck it in the Bucket” means food waste and its packaging can go together, rather than asking employees to spend valuable time separating them.
Sometimes, the best waste diversion system isn’t the one that asks people to do more. It’s the one that makes doing the right thing easier.

08/13/2026

Biodegradable vs. Compostable
Ever picked up a product labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable” and wondered what the difference is? You’re not alone!
The terms are often used interchangeably. While there is some overlap, they do not mean the same thing.
Key Differences
• The Golden Rule: All compostable products are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable products are compostable.
• Timeframe: Compostable products are designed to break down within a defined timeframe—often within 90 to 180 days. “Biodegradable” does not provide a specific timeframe.
• End Product: Composted materials break down into natural components such as water, carbon dioxide and biomass, without leaving harmful residues. Biodegradation can have different outcomes depending on the material and environment.
• Testing and Standards: Certified compostable products must meet specific standards and testing requirements. The word “biodegradable,” on its own, doesn't tell us enough about how, where or how quickly a product will break down.
Awareness Promotes Change
Understanding labels is a good first step. Awareness is where real change begins.
At Davidson Environmental, our Tiger Depacker separates packaging from organic material. This prepares organics to be processed through anaerobic digestion and converted into biogas and organic fertilizer. This leaves the separated packaging much cleaner and easier to manage, but we still encounter waste that has nowhere to go but the landfill. That’s an important part of the conversation.
Reducing landfill use doesn't happen because one product is labeled “green.” It happens when we understand what labels mean, make informed choices, improve the systems that handle our waste, and keep looking for better solutions.
The more we understand about the products we buy and the waste we create, the better decisions we can make—at home, at work and across our communities.
Awareness leads to better choices. Better choices lead to better systems. And better systems move us toward a more circular future.

08/07/2026

Small Scale Farms brought the fresh produce to our place today! Glad to support local farmers and businesses. Hope our work families enjoy the fresh local food! They deserve every bit of it!

Huge shout out to Davidson Environmental for supporting local in such a meaningful way.

This week they purchased produce bags for their employees, helping put fresh, healthy food into people’s homes while supporting a local food hub at the same time.

Businesses have an incredible opportunity to strengthen their communities through simple decisions like this. When local businesses support local food, the impact reaches far beyond a single purchase.

Thank you, Davidson Environmental, for choosing to be part of that. We truly appreciate your support. ❤️

07/29/2026

Plastic Free July is coming to an end... but hopefully your new habits are just getting started. 🌎
Let's be honest—forming a good habit isn't easy.
Some days you remembered your reusable bags. Other days they were sitting in the trunk while you stood in the checkout line. We've all been there.
Over the month your ratio of remembering improved. That's exactly how habits are built—not through perfection, but through repetition, mindfulness, better action next time.
Refilling instead of using a disposable bottle.
Ditching single use coffee cups.
Lunch packed in reusable containers.
Thoughtful choices to reduce unnecessary plastic.
Each decision may seem small, but repeated over time, those choices become second nature – a positive habit.
At Davidson Environmental, we know that meaningful environmental change doesn't happen because of one big moment. It happens because thousands of people make better choices every single day—whether that's reducing plastic, diverting food waste, recycling properly, or finding new ways to reduce waste.
So, as July comes to a close, don't think of Plastic Free July as something that's ending.
Think of it as the month you started a few habits worth keeping.
Because lasting change isn't built in 31 days...
It's built one choice at a time.
🌿 Here's to creating habits that are good for us, our communities, and the planet.📣

07/17/2026

Do’s and Don’ts of Limiting Exposure to Microplastics
It’s plastic free July and the news is full of information about what harm micro-plastics do to our bodies and our environment. Information about how and where they accumulate along with some tips to limit exposure has been released from a variety of sources.
The University of Pennsylvania shares that microplastics tend to come from local sources. The air we breathe, the clothing we wear and the use of plastic or plastic coated containers for hot food and beverages are all sources of microplastics which we consume daily. We hear plenty of hype about plastic straws, but microplastics come from a wide range of sources most notably our everyday environment.

A few don’ts:
Avoid single-use coffee cups, especially for hot drinks; those paper cups have a plastic liner.
Avoid single-use plastic bottles and aluminum cans whenever possible. If you do have to use them, try to minimize sloshing and keep them out of the heat.
Avoid plastic takeout containers.
Don’t heat food in plastic containers in the microwave, even if the label says microwave safe.
And most of all, don’t litter.

And a few dos:
Wear natural fibers when you can.
Eat plenty of high-fiber vegetables, which can help move particles through the digestive tract, reducing their absorption.
Use a metal tea strainer with loose, bulk tea rather than nylon tea bags.
Wash synthetic clothing in cold water, use a microfiber-catching laundry bag, and vacuum and dust regularly.

Doing the most we can is the least we can do for ourselves and future generations.

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07/09/2026

Landfills Filling Up Matters
Did you know?....In Ontario, approximately 64% of our waste ends up in landfills, while only 32% is recycled or composted. At first glance, those numbers might not seem alarming. However, consider this: 31% of the residential waste sent to landfill is food and other organic material. In fact, experts estimate that up to 60% of what goes into household garbage could be recycled or composted instead.
Now compare that to Sweden, where only 1% of household waste is sent to landfill. Approximately 50% is recycled or composted, while 47% is converted into energy through highly regulated waste-to-energy facilities, generating electricity and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Why make this comparison? Because Ontario has faced landfill capacity challenges before. The introduction of curbside recycling extended the life of existing landfills, but today's growing population and increasing waste generation mean we once again need new solutions. Expanding diversion efforts, adopting innovative technologies, and improving waste sorting habits are all essential if we're going to meet Ontario's future waste management needs and goals.
The question is simple:
Could you reduce what you send to landfill by 10%, 20%, or even 30%?
Businesses have an especially important role to play. In Ontario, businesses are responsible for managing their own waste and have the opportunity to separate materials into recycling, organics, and garbage instead of sending everything to landfill. Beyond protecting the environment, separating waste streams can also help larger organizations meet mandatory waste audit and reporting requirements while demonstrating a genuine commitment to sustainability.
At Davidson Environmental, we're here to help. Whether or not you already have a waste collection provider we can partner with them or with you directly to help your business divert food waste from landfill, support your waste reduction goals, and make a measurable environmental impact.
Every tonne of organics diverted is a step toward preserving landfill capacity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and building a more sustainable Ontario.

06/17/2026

How is Fifa Making A Commitment to Sustainability
As highlighted in a recent article by Environmental Journal, Canadians have something to celebrate.
A new sustainability ranking of the 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities placed Vancouver first and Toronto among the top five performers. Measured against key environmental indicators including greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, transportation infrastructure, air quality, green space, and waste management, Canada's host cities demonstrate that environmental leadership is happening here.
These results did not happen by accident. They are the product of decades of advocacy, innovation, public investment, and the collective voices of Canadians who have consistently called for cleaner air, greener transportation, renewable energy, responsible waste management, and stronger environmental standards.
The findings are also a reminder that individual and collective voices matter. Every conversation, every vote, every community initiative, and every business decision contributes to shaping the future we want to see. Progress occurs when citizens, organizations, and governments work together toward a common goal.
There is still much work to be done within FIFA’s structuring of games which leaves teams criss-cross the continent and so raising the environmental footprint of the games. Nevertheless, Canadians can take pride in the fact that our cities are being recognized on the world stage for their commitment to sustainability. Our stadiums and sponsors are lifting heavy weights in their reduction of waste. These are major initiatives in supporting sustainability.
Environmental progress begins with action, and action often begins with a voice willing to speak up for positive change. Thank you to Environmental Journal for highlighting this important story and the ongoing efforts that are helping build a more sustainable future for generations to come.
We invite comments: "What environmental initiative in your community has made the biggest impact, and what change would you like to see next?"

06/11/2026

Anniversary Musings
Davidson Environmental started in 1996 with a man, a truck and a vision. We had one driver, our founder James Davidson and his christian education director wife, Kathy. These two saw a future in organic waste collection that was otherwise only just being dreamed of in universities and research and development companies around Canada.
James and Kathy handled everything from dispatching to billing, collection, processing and arranging the delivery of organic waste to a host of drop-off sites. Bakery goods were transferred to farms for animal feed. Local greenhouses started using our collected coffee grounds and other organic waste in anaerobic digestion to create the fuel they needed to operate from as early as 2007 in our 11th year of operations.
Over that time our employee roster grew. Truck drivers were the first to join the team and our service area was expanded. Growth continued, moving to 2 shifts of operations, hiring dispatchers and additional office personnel along with a host of shop staff who loaded and unloaded trucks, processed waste and cleaned green bins.
The core of our care for customers rotated around our green bin exchange program. In the past 6 years alone we have purchased over 4,000 bins to service our customers. Sadly, we can’t say how many bins have been purchased over the decades 😞😞😞. What we know is that our bin exchange program has been the cornerstone of our service philosophy giving customers a clean, efficient way to dispose of organic waste with no clean up required on their part.
A driver manager, general manager and sustainability officer were added to the staffing roster just after our 20th anniversary.
Today we continue to grow. In 2023 we added a second dispatcher, extending office hours to Saturdays. We added a second mechanic as well as millwright to our maintenance team in the past few years. This year we added to the sales and customer service team. Our one man -one woman operation has become 50 team members working 24/7 to in our drive to partner with the businesses we serve to help them reduce their carbon footprint on the earth.

05/15/2026

There have been so many changes in how we have done business over the past 30 years. This stroll down memory lane does not begin to reflect the changes in our fleet or our staffing, but it does show a glimpse of the difference time has made in our approach to environmental action.
When we began in 1996, we were a small operation serving a handful of customers, hand-sorting organic materials and diverting them from landfill to farms and composting sites. At the time, this approach was still emerging, well before formal climate policies and long before Green Bin programs became standard across Ontario.
As the industry evolved, so did we. We invested in mechanical separation systems, expanded our processing capacity, and helped customers manage source separation challenges directly. In the 2000s, we also embraced anaerobic digestion and early renewable energy applications, directing organics into systems producing biogas, electricity, and soil amendments.
By the mid-2010s, organics diversion had become a core part of climate action and methane reduction strategies. We were ready with tailored collection programs, bin systems, and contamination controls to support businesses in meeting growing sustainability expectations.
Today, we remain focused on innovation, food waste diversion, and resource recovery — staying ahead of change while helping customers reduce impact and build a more resilient, sustainable future.