Waste Audits and Waste Reduction and Diversion
Conestoga College aims to reach the 60% waste diversion rate legislated by the Government of Ontario. In order to track this goal, Conestoga completes an annual detailed waste audit to assess how much material is disposed of through recycling, organic waste composting, garbage, and various material specific diversion programs. The results of these audits allow for the evaluation of the recycling and composting program, and to identify opportunities to improve on the 3R's: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling. The Waste Audit is a formal, structured process that is conducted on a typical 24 hour day cycle in order to capture a typical day’s waste stream. The results are detailed in a report and a Waste Reduction Work Plan which is required to be submitted to the Government of Ontario on a bi-annual basis. The recommendations set out in the work plan are implemented through Facilities Management in cooperation with various College departments.
Waste Audits
- Waste Audit 2011 (pdf)
Highlights: Conestoga's 2011 diversion rate is 53%. Our goal of reaching 60% can be accomplished by focusing on placing waste in the appropriate waste stream and adhering to the 3R's. The most commonly misplaced materials in the garbage; meaning they could have been either recycled or composted are:
- Organics, or food waste at 41.3%
- Paper Towels at 6.7%
- Fine paper at 5.8%
The goal can be reached if everyone is mindful of where they place their waste. If each person at Conestoga placed the following items in the proper waste stream instead of the garbage, we could reach our target in no time:
- Recycle 1/2 of the paper normally misplaced in the garbage, or about 201 sheets of printer paper
- Composted 1/4 of food waste, or equivalent of 4 rotisserie chickens
- Composted 1/2 of the napkins, or 3 standard paper towel rolls
Support this effort by informing yourself on what is compostable and recyclable by checking the signage placed near the bins, or by reviewing the do's and don'ts found on the recycling page.
Even better than recycling, is reducing the need to recycle in the first place. To learn how to reduce paper usage, visit our litter reduction page.