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A month-long recycling campaign led by Clean Up Peterborough has kept nearly 27,000 used pens, markers, and pencils out of local landfills.
Between June 1 and 30, the grassroots initiative gathered 26,772 writing instruments through 92 collection points across the City and County of Peterborough. Schools made up the bulk of the effort, accounting for close to 70 percent of the total collected.
“Our original target was 50,000, but the true goal was always to spark a wider conversation about waste diversion and community action,” said Clean Up Peterborough founder Steve Paul. “That impact far exceeded our expectations.”
The discarded items, weighing in at 158.11 kilograms, will be recycled through TerraCycle into new plastic products.
Lakefield District Public School led the way with over 3,500 items, followed by the Douro-Dummer Municipal Office and the Avant Garden Shop. Several municipal sites and schools outside the county, including in Cobourg and Northumberland, also took part.
In total, Clean Up Peterborough has now collected more than 28,000 writing instruments since partnering with TerraCycle in October 2024.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
