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Plan of Action :: Links
As much as waste management seems to be a modern issue, the problem of waste
created by increasing consumerism was already being recognized by mainstream
media more than half a century ago. Life Magazine heralded the advent of
a "throwaway society" in 1955 - a very poignant statement that is still true
today. Packaging, containers, and nondurable goods comprise 60% of municipal
solid waste (MSW) in the United States (no Canadian data available), while
only 16% of MSW is durable goods.
Recent trends in waste generation have been downward, or at least flat, and diversion
rates have been steadily climbing, indicating that the general situation seems to be moving
in the right direction. Specific trends, however, such as bottled water consumption, show
that throwaway attitudes are not comprehensively being changed. In some instances, this is
purely a matter of convenience; people have become accustomed to getting coffee on the go,
and disposable cups are the price that is paid. In other instance, as with the case of bottled
water, the problem is partly due to convenience, but also confusion regarding the Three R's.
The Three R's - reduce, reuse, recycle - are often understood to be a set of equal
alternatives, when in fact they form a hierarchy. The best practice for reducing landfilled waste
is to reduce the amount of material consumed altogether. The next best thing is to reuse material
that has stopped serving its original purpose with minimal processing. Recycling is actually the
least desirable waste reduction method, only to be used if it is not possible to avoid consuming
materials or reusing them. Recycling is a great improvement over landfilling waste, but recycling
requires resources for transportation of recyclables to processing facilities and for the recycling
process itself. Doing things like using your own reusable bottle and mug for water and coffee are
real best practices.
Waste trends at U of T Scarborough are similar to waste trends in general; the total volume
generated has been declining and the diversion rate has been increasing. Also, like general trends,
however, this does not indicate that throwaway attitudes have also been changing. Most meetings
feature water and other drinks served in disposable bottles, and the paper cup remains the vessel of
choice for coffee. One major part of our waste reduction workplan (which we update on an annual basis
in compliance with Ontario Regulation 102/94) is source reduction of waste by changing attitudes and practices.
At present, reuse is not a big part of our waste reduction work plan, but we are aiming to greatly increase the
efficacy of our recycling programs. We already employ a great number of recycling streams, in addition to implementing source reduction strategies and packaging alternatives to reduce waste and facilitate easier recycling.
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