When Emterra Environmental began providing recycling, waste, and organics collection services in
the Region of Niagara in 2011, it established an Emterra Community Care™ program called ‘Make Your Contribution at the Curb™'. Through this program, Emterra pledged to donate annually to the Niagara Health Foundation in support of the Walker Family Cancer Centre to aid the new facility and to help fight cancer in the region.
On October 29, 2020, Emterra’s Paulina Leung, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development presented a cheque for $33,182 to the Niagara Health Foundation, bringing the total for donations over nine years to more than $345,000.
When Emterra Environmental first committed to a program to improve the quality of life in the Region, it wanted to donate to the Niagara Health Foundation in support of the Walker Family Cancer Centre (WFCC). Rather than a set sum, the company tied the donation to the amount of recyclables and used batteries residents and businesses recycled each year. For every tonne recycled, Emterra donated $1. While the numbers varied somewhat, each year Emterra donated between $33,000 and $44,000. In 2019 - the year represented by this latest cheque - the total tonnes recycled reached 33,182.
Emterra’s Community Care™ programs donate funds to worthy community causes while at the same time boosting awareness of the need for waste reduction, enticing consumers and businesses to recycle more and linking community health to sustainability.
“Helping in the fight to beat cancer in Niagara Region is one of the most important initiatives that we’ve undertaken in Emterra’s Community Care™ program. We are proud to be a partner with the Niagara Health Foundation and we are proud that our made-in-Niagara ‘Make Your Contribution at the Curb™’ program has had such an important impact on health care in the region. It’s inspiring to see donated dollars at work. This is an example of how a private sector company like ours can work with other organizations for the betterment of the community and the environment,” Leung said.
Among those on hand to celebrate the cheque presentation were Hospital President Lynn Guerriero, Foundation Interim President and CEO Andrea Scott and Dr. Janice Giesbrecht Chief of Oncology, Niagara Health Medical Director, Walker Family Cancer Centre
“We are so thankful for the support Emterra has continued to provide to the betterment of cancer care in Niagara. Their support allows for cancer treatment to take place close to home so patients can have the support of their loved ones with them on their care journey,” said Andrea Scott, Interim President and CEO, Niagara Health Foundation.
“Emterra’s generous donations over the years to our cancer centre demonstrate the power and importance of community partnerships and the difference they make in peoples’ lives. This immense support allows us to provide the high-quality healthcare that Niagara residents deserve,” added Lynn Guerriero, President of Niagara Health.
The ‘Make Your Contribution at the Curb™ program won numerous top awards over several years in the Recycling Council of Ontario’s Waste Minimization awards.
In addition to blue and grey box recyclables and used batteries, Emterra also collected bulky waste, yard waste and organics under a contract with the Region of Niagara from 2011-2020. Emterra continues to provide waste and recycling collection services to the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors throughout the region.