Plan for a zero waste campus for our college :: GR 02

Plan for a zero waste campus for our college.

                    The mission of the Zero Waste Campus campaign is to completely eliminate landfill contribution from Concordia and other Montreal universities!

                  We aim to eliminate waste through systems change and by encouraging individuals to practice the R4s: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle waste, in that order! Our valiant mascot, Huggy the Muggy, patrols the streets of the city to encourage the community to HUG THEIR REUSABLE MUG, and save the planet.

So far, the campaign has focused on these main contributors to university waste: 

·        Coffee Cups

·        Organic Waste

·        Bottled Water

·        Non-Recyclable Packaging

                We would also like to tackle other contributors, such as furniture, and electronic waste.
 

The campaign uses a multi-faceted approach to accomplish its goals:   

 

• Creative public outreach and educational campaigns
•Engagement of the community in participative democracy (petitioning geared  toward businesses, institutions, and government).
• Facilitation of dialogue between key stakeholders in creating systems change (for example, setting up meetings with local cafés to encourage more initiatives to reduce the use of disposable coffee cups, or meeting with Custodial Service departments to stimulate changes in the waste infrastructure).

Current activities include:

• Conducting Waste Audits
• Educating people about the lifecycle of one-time-use products
• Organizing awareness campaigns about coffee cup waste, and the advantages of using a reusable mug (including discounts!).
• Communicating with local and national café chains about changing their approach to waste.
• Informing people about (and asking them to sign) the Zero Waste Pledge
• Petitioning companies to change their non-recyclable packaging, which includes showcasing best practices in packaging and encouraging the use of bulk distribution.
• Petitioning the recycling industry and government to adopt more sophisticated recycling practices (plastic number 6 is currently not recyclable in Quebec), and encouraging more collaboration with the packaging industry.

 

Zero-Waste Programs

                 In a world with finite resources, achieving a state of Zero-waste may eventually become an imperative. In nature, there is no waste. Waste for one process is food for another. Each organism in a forest plays a unique role in repetitively cycling nutrients, water, and energy throughout the system. Is it possible for a company to mimic nature? To be productive and profitable, yet produce no waste?

                 From college campuses to manufacturing facilities, organizations with the highest sustainability objectives aim to create no waste at all – and they are succeeding.

Striving for Zero-Waste

              Zero-waste targets are one of the highest sustainability goals an organization can set. Achieving zero-waste involves eliminating all the non-product outputs, byproducts that don't have a marketable value. To accomplish this requires a cultural shift, where every bit of excess waste is a missed opportunity. An organization dedicated to a zero-waste is often energized as they strive for continuous improvement, by constantly seeking greater value from byproducts and utilizing the most innovative technologies.

Mobilize your organization with Waste Management’s solution experts

                     Our team of eco-consultants offers guidance and real-world solutions to help your organization execute a zero-waste approach. We will assist you every step of the way, from strategy to implementation, always seeking the highest value for your resources. The result is a strategy that drives innovation, while benefiting the bottom line. We constantly seek solutions that are higher and higher on the waste resolution hierarchy, moving away from beneficial disposal and toward reduction and elimination of waste.

Implementing new solutions

                     Like any far-reaching initiative, extensive cooperation is needed within your organization to achieve the greatest success. We can work together to create the organizational dynamics necessary for these initiatives to thrive. Many of the components of a zero-waste approach reside outside your walls, involving your suppliers and even your customers. Our team will examine the environmental impact of your product or service, including its raw material input, non-product output, consumer use, and final disposition. We can draw from our vast infrastructure and network of alliances every step of the way.

                      Some manufacturers are taking the zero-waste approach one step further by designing products with end-of-life in mind. Closed-loop solutions use old products to create new products and often result in considerable cost savings. Another beneficial approach is to use non-product outputs to manufacture high-value goods, such as countertops made from demolition waste and clothing made from plastic bottles, thus reducing waste by concentrating on resource productivity and next-life solutions. Regardless of your industry, we can help transform your waste into resources.

Campus - Reducing Waste

                     An overview of waste reduction for those who live, work and study at Scotland's Universities and Colleges.

What does Reduce mean?

                The Waste Hierarchy ranks waste management options in order of sustainability, the first level being the most sustainable. Reduce is the first level of the Waste Hierarchy and means taking steps to lower the amount of waste produced.

Why is reducing waste a good thing to do?

Reducing your waste:

·         Saves the Earth’s natural resources.

·         Saves energy and reduces the risk of climate change.

·         Reduces the need for landfill.

How can I reduce waste on campus?

                 Reducing the amount of waste coming on to your campus can be difficult but there are things you can do quickly and easily that should make a big difference.

                  Paper accounts for a large proportion of the waste produced on university and college campuses, you can help to reduce paper waste by:

·         Changing printer and photo copier defaults to ensure they print double sided.

·         Using electronic versions of meeting agendas and minutes in place of paper copies where interactive audio visual equipment is available in meeting rooms.

·         Signing up to the fax preference service to reduce the amount of unwanted mail received through fax machines. 

·         Checking that you are not receiving too many multiple copies of the same publications.

·         Avoiding excess packaging and disposable products and making the most of the equipment you have can help reduce waste. 

·         Where possible use reusable cups and cutlery instead of disposables.

·         Try and have broken equipment repaired rather than replaced, make use of product guarantees and warranties where appropriate.

·         You may be able to reduce the amount of packaging coming on to campus by specifying a requirement for minimal packaging during procurement of goods and services.

How can I reduce waste at home?

There are lots of things you can do to reduce waste whether you live in campus or private accommodation.

Reduce food waste:

Over a third of the food we buy in Scotland is thrown directly in the bin. You can find out how to save money, safely use leftovers and manage to store food when you only have half a shelf in the freezer at the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Stop The Drop:

If you would like to reduce the amount of unwanted mail you receive and benefit the environment, follow the five easy ways to do it. You can also pass the message on to your friends by forwarding the Stop The Drop campaign email.

Home composting

Composting your organic kitchen and garden waste is a great way of reducing waste and producing compost for your garden.

Sort It

Visit our Sort It directory to find ideas for preventing waste in your local area. The directory lists thousands local and national facilities, products and services that can help you to reduce waste.

Zero waste:

         Arizona State University commits to minimizing waste through diversion and aversion. ASU reduces water waste by the use of more efficient fixtures, better water management, and distribution of effluent water for use by mechanical and irrigation systems. Solid waste is diverted from the landfill through recycling, repurposing, reusing, and composting. Waste is averted through reduced consumption.

Recycling:

            Sun Devils can recycle plastic, aluminum, paper, and cardboard on all four campuses. Check your campus's recycling page for additional recyclable items.

Composting:

         

          ASU is developing a university-wide composting program. Currently, landscape trimmings are composted through a partnership with a local farmer, diverting an average of 140 tons of landscaping waste from the landfill each year. ASU uses the compost as fertilizer on campus grounds. The Green Bin program at Tempe campus will soon allow all campuses to compost food and compostable food-service items at dining halls.

Exchanging Surplus Items:

              Sun Devils Surplus Exchange and Transfer (Sunset) is a university-wide "classified ad" system for exchanging ASU property. Through Sunset, ASU departments can re-use office supplies, lab supplies, some types of furniture, and other un-needed items.

Selling or Recycling Surplus Items:

            Surplus Property harvests and sells metal from retired ASU property, recycles cardboard and paper that cannot be reused, and generally does all it can to reduce waste and increase revenue.

Reducing Junk Mail:

         ASU Mail Services has partnered with Ecological Mail Coalition to help reduce each department's junk mail. Ecological Mail can help decrease the volume of catalogs, magazines or other advertising mail for employees who are no longer in a department.

Ditch the Dumpster:

          Ditch the Dumpster gives students a way to recycle, reuse, or repurpose their leftovers during the year-end rush to move out of residence halls. The annual event benefits local charities.

Paint Reuse Program:

         ASU filters and stirs together odd lots of old paint for reuse on small projects around the campus and the community, in the process eliminating a hazardous waste.

Landscaping Water Conservation:

            ASU's campus is Arizona's largest public arboretum, dedicated in 1990 and committed to proper water management and conservation while educating visitors about the complex ecological systems on earth.

                Facilities Management has instituted several practices designed to reduce the amount of water used in landscaping on campus. About two-thirds of campus is watered at night to prevent evaporation. An initiative is also underway to automate the remaining systems so that the different plants on campus receive water based on both current weather conditions and a given plant´s evapotranspiration rate. Existing flood irrigation infrastructure has been preserved for future use with a gray water system when practicable.

Low-flow Fixtures:

                 ASU has reduced water consumption in many buildings around campus through the installation of low-flow water fixtures such as sinks, showers, toilets, and in some buildings, waterless urinals. On average, these efficient appliances use approximately 30 percent less water than their conventional counterparts.

Water Filtration Stations:

            Filtration stations located in ASU residence halls allow students to refill both one-gallon and five-gallon jugs with fresh water, saving them money and reducing waste.

Dining:

                  Sun Devil Dining is committed to making environmentally responsible decisions across its operations, minimizing environmental impact while providing quality food and service.

Catering:

            The University Club focuses on creating a sustainable environment through its food selections, waste conservation, and more. At last a Catering is the official caterer of the University Club.

Campus Harvest:

              Campus Harvest engages the ASU community in planting and harvesting food from ASU’s extensive urban campus to provide fresh, local produce for campus kitchens, for charity, and for sale.

Community Supported Agriculture:

              CSA partner Crooked Sky Farms provides fresh, local, organic produce to community members at ASU’s Polytechnic and West campuses. Students, staff, faculty, and others purchase shares of high-quality, local produce, providing financial security to a local farm.

Community Garden:

          Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus has created a community garden, the first of several planned for all campuses. The garden encourages students to learn about permaculture and sustainable food practices, creates a sense of community, and transforms an underutilized area to one that is more vital and engaging.

Green Building Standards:

             Following a 2005 order by the governor of Arizona, ASU now requires, to the fullest extent practicable, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for all new construction of university-owned and operated building.

Campus Metabolism:

                  Campus Metabolism provides an interactive web tool that enables users to examine real-time energy and water use on campus — by individual building, building type, or the entire campus.

CONCLUSION:

                      At last to have a better environment around our college we should have a zero waste college campus.