{"id":17156,"date":"2011-06-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-10T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfiledev.uit.yorku.ca\/2011\/06\/10\/yorks-zerowaste-program-enjoys-a-stellar-first-year\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T08:45:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T12:45:00","slug":"yorks-zerowaste-program-enjoys-a-stellar-first-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2011\/06\/10\/yorks-zerowaste-program-enjoys-a-stellar-first-year\/","title":{"rendered":"York's ZeroWaste Program enjoys a stellar first year"},"content":{"rendered":"

As far as garbage goes, it has been a pretty good year for York University's ZeroWaste Program.<\/p>\n

The numbers show that since it launched\u00a0on June 8, 2010 by Campus Services & Business Operations (CSBO), ZeroWaste\u00a0has diverted the equivalent weight of\u00a0more than 11 subway cars of trash, or\u00a0716 metric tonnes of garbage,\u00a0from\u00a0area landfills.<\/p>\n

The figure, which equates to a 23 per cent reduction in waste, shows that\u00a0with the help of the University community, York is well on its way to reaching\u00a0its\u00a0initial ZeroWaste target of diverting 65 per cent of its total institutional waste by 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u00a0the figures show is\u00a0that the ZeroWaste message that we have to change the way we think about our garbage has been taken to heart by the community,\u201d says York environmental studies grad and waste management supervisor Meagan Heath (MES '10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"Some<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Above:\u00a0Some of the CSBO staff members on the ZeroWaste team. Sitting in the truck cab is Dominic Lacalamita, operator. In front of the truck are, from left, Lorie Thatcher, supervisor; Megan Collins, grounds team leader; Terrence Hanifen, operator; Rodney DeBassige, driver; and Meagan Heath, supervisor.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Specific figures for the first year of ZeroWaste show that York community members have decreased the amount of paper they put in the trash by 46 per cent, or 257 metric tonnes, and there\u00a0was a 13 per cent decrease in garbage, or the equivalent of 222 metric tonnes.<\/p>\n

\"Mixed paper products sent for\u00a0recycling declined because of the increased emphasis on double-sided printing and paperless practices. During the first seven months of the program, bottles and cans going into\u00a0the garbage decreased by 23 per cent because\u00a0people are now bringing their own mugs and water bottles to work,\" says Heath.<\/p>\n

Rather than resting on the success of ZeroWaste,\u00a0CSBO waste management staff\u00a0continue to develop\u00a0new and inventive ways to\u00a0increase\u00a0what can be diverted from landfills.\u00a0Over the past few months, they've expanded\u00a0ZeroWaste to include recycling of batteries, small electronics,\u00a0appliances, ink cartridges and more. Paper towel dispensers are gradually being removed from the University washrooms in high use areas\u00a0and are being replaced with hand dryers, which was likely the largest contributor to the drop in paper consumption. Heath says that several studies show that \"hand dryers are more energy efficient than using paper.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Above:\u00a0York has its own fleet of waste management vehicles<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There are now handy chilled water stations situated throughout the Keele campus specifically for refilling reusable personal water bottles. Add to these measures the\u00a0increased signage, recycling\u00a0bins and a continual encouragement through messaging and ZeroWaste is\u00a0hitting home with York faculty and staff.<\/p>\n

Heath says that students are also being encouraged to embrace ZeroWaste. \"F\"Yorkor the first time this year during residence move-out\u00a0we did a formal e-waste drive,\" says Heath. \"We placed big bins in every residence and asked students to put any electronics or small appliances they were throwing out into the bins. We also included a bin to collect batteries.\"<\/p>\n

Right: York grad Meagan Heath<\/strong><\/p>\n

Students were receptive to\u00a0recycling their e-waste and Heath says a lot was learned from the e-waste drive.\u00a0\"We learned that students need to be able to recycle their e-waste throughout the year and when something is broken, they need to be able to recycle it right away,\" she says.<\/p>\n

You can help the program by doing the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n