| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 78.59 |
| Liaison | Beverley Ayeni |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
University of Toronto Mississauga
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.31 / 8.00 |
Minali
Giani Sustainability Intern Facilities Management and Planning |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 189.22 Metric tons | 149 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 68.54 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 33.86 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 727.27 Metric tons | 583 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,018.89 Metric tons | 732 Metric tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
n/a
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2009 | Dec. 31, 2009 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
n/a
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,686 | 1,335 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 10 | 7 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 58 | 114 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 14,515 | 9,054 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,292 | 897 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,094 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.09 Metric tons | 0.09 Metric tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
In the waste figures reported above, has the institution recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold the following materials?:
| Yes or No | |
| Paper, plastics, glass, metals, and other recyclable containers | Yes |
| Food | Yes |
| Cooking oil | Yes |
| Plant materials | Yes |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
- Textbooks For Change is a social enterprise that donates textbooks from post-secondary schools to countries in Africa, resells them at affordable prices in Canada, and recycles out-of-date and damaged books. Students can drop off old/used textbooks in the Textbooks For Change drop box located on the second floor of the Davis Building. A Textbooks For Change representative picks up the textbooks every five weeks.
- Fluorescent tubes are recycled annually and collected by Aevitas, a hazardous waste company.
- In the last fiscal year, UTM diverted 30 tons of campus furniture for donation and recycling with the help of Green Standards. Green Standards is a Toronto-based company that specializes in responsible and cost-effective redistribution and recycling of office surplus.
- During the early days of the pandemic, U of T purchased single-layer branded cloth masks, that were quickly deemed unacceptable by Public Health authorities resulting in over 100,000 masks sitting in pallets across all three campuses. Working with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Partners in Project Green’s (PPG) Material-Exchange program, U of T explored several recycling options, and determined a waste-to-energy solution was the most viable, meaning 1,262 lbs of material was diverted from landfill.
- UTM collects leaf and yard waste and sends it to organics facilities annually.
- UTM has also collaborated with other campus groups to hold diversion events including (but not limited to): Regenesis Clothing Drive/Free Store, and United Way Book Fair.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
The 4-in-1 Envyrozone waste receptacles inside our buildings across campus have standardized and clear signage with infographics to help students, staff, and faculty in disposing of their recyclables and other items into the correct streams (I.e. organics, container recycling, paper recycling, and landfill) before Caretaking staff transfers the bags to the loading docks.
In addition, GFL and Waste Reduction Group bins at the outside loading docks are labeled to help the Caretaking staff dispose of the bags in the correct bin when they are picked up by the waste haulers.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
All waste bins in the northside buildings on campus (Instructional Building (IB), Deerfield Hall (DH), and Maanjiwe nendamowinan (MN)) now have different coloured bags (e.g. black for landfill, blue for container recycling, clear for paper and compost). This simple swap will help campus waste diversion by ensuring the proper materials end up in the correct streams at the loading docks. Additionally, a classroom bin standard was created as a waste reduction initiative, following best practices from other institutions, by eliminating waste bins in small-medium capacity classrooms. This new process will encourage students to use the 4-1 hallway bins and mitigate rarely used classroom bins. Given all these changes, presentations were also organized for the Caretaking staff to inform and empower them to be part of UTM’s waste diversion and reduction strategy.
In addition, the Sustainability Office piloted the Waste Ambassador Program at UTM in the 2022-2023 school year. This student-led initiative aims to effectively communicate knowledge on waste management to campus stakeholders with the goal of fostering better waste sorting behaviour on campus. The Waste Ambassador Program provides valuable experience for students passionate about waste management and educational initiatives. Students who sign up to be waste ambassadors receive training in waste sorting on campus and gain foundational knowledge to educate their peers on the importance of proper waste management practices. Throughout the year, waste ambassadors actively participated in various events, including outreach through tabling, bi-weekly patrolling, and litter clean-ups.
The Sustainability Office has revamped the Waste & Recycling section on their website, allowing the UTM community to readily access waste sorting resources, learn more about sustainable programs, and be informed on the waste initiatives on campus, including UTM Hospitality’s OZZI container and BYOC (Bring Your Own Cup) reuse programs which encourage students to reduce and reuse before they recycle or dispose single-use items.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
As an educational institution, UTM must conduct annual waste audits under Ontario Regulation (O. Reg) 102/94. Every year, an external auditor completes the audit and provides UTM with a report containing quantifiable data (e.g. contamination rate, diversion rate) and qualitative information (e.g. recommendations to improve waste diversion).
UTM is currently in the process of planning a tri-campus audit across the three University of Toronto campuses with one waste auditor to streamline processes and standardize the crucial data required to assess and identify areas for improvement.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
N/A
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
N/A
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Regenesis UTM organizes free stores during tabling events on campus numerous times a year where students can donate, and access used items for free. UTM’s United Way chapter also organizes an annual BookFair where students, staff, and faculty can donate books, board games, DVDs, etc. and purchase the donated items.
(Regenesis is a community environmental organization dedicated to empowering students to address today’s environmental and social concerns through advocacy and local service.)
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students must pay for all print jobs on campus; there is no free printing for students. All campus printers are automatically set to print double-sided; while this can be overridden, double-sided printing is less expensive than single-sided printing.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Students are encouraged to upload assignments and submit quizzes on Quercus rather than printing documents. Quercus is a web-based platform in which you can access course content, submit assessments, and interact with the instructor and other learners using a range of tools.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Last April, the UTM Sustainability Office worked with Electronic Recycling Association and hosted an electronic collection drive in three residences (Erindale Hall, OPH, and Roy Ivor Hall).
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Furniture, fluorescent tubes, masks and textbooks intended for disposal have been recovered through various programs (see "A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold").
UTM’s Hospitality team leads and administers the OZZI container program on campus. OZZI is a green reusable container program at UTM. The program's goal is to eliminate traditional takeout containers from the campus supply chain. Students, staff, and faculty can participate in the program by simply paying a $5 deposit.
Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.