UU直播

The ICI on recycle + program highlights organizations across Quebec committed to improving their waste sorting and reduction efforts

UU直播 is one of two Quebec universities to receive recognition from the provincial government for its waste management practices. RECYC-QU脡BEC, the branch responsible for sustainable waste management, recently awarded UU直播鈥檚 downtown campus the Performance certification level of its ICI on recycle + program.

鈥淭hree years ago, UU直播 made a commitment聽to become zero-waste by 2035. Since then, the University community has really come together to make that happen,鈥� said Francois Miller, Executive Director of the Office of Sustainability. 鈥淭his certification is a testament to all of that hard work and, hopefully, a motivator to keep going.鈥�

The goal of the ICI on recycle + program is to recognize organizations across the province that are 鈥減roactive and committed鈥� to improving their waste management practices. The Performance certification is the second of four levels, awarded to organizations that have already taken steps to better reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover waste materials.

While there are currently 360 organizations in Quebec with ICI on recycle + certification, UU直播 and Universit茅 de Sherbrooke are the only two universities. To attain the 90 per cent diversion rate needed to be considered zero-waste by 2035, UU直播 has and continues to make changes to campus infrastructure, supply chains, and programs, as well as bolster its waste education and engagement initiatives.

Collaborative efforts across campus

Many of the waste management projects that earned UU直播 its ICI on recycle + certification relied on partnerships across multiple units including the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Management and Ancillary Services, Procurement Services, and Student Housing and Hospitality Services.

In recent years, the Department of Buildings and Grounds has installed more than 700 standardized sorting stations in academic and administrative buildings across both campuses, many of which feature decals and posters to encourage proper waste sorting habits. Additionally, there are now more than 30 outdoor sorting stations on campus that offer a recycling stream outdoors for the first time ever at UU直播.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to Buildings and Grounds to be at the forefront of some of the initiatives that are making UU直播 stand out as a sustainability leader,鈥� said George Lazaris, Director of Buildings and Grounds at Facilities Management and Ancillary Services. 鈥淲e are constantly looking at how we can make our practices more sustainable, from our cleaning procedures to the maintenance of our grounds. We鈥檙e already looking at how we can take our successes in terms of waste management to the next level.鈥�

Increased composting聽

UU直播 has also significantly expanded its compost collection efforts with the installation of 65 sorting stations that include a compost stream. This has allowed the downtown campus to divert 28,586 kilograms of organic waste (roughly the weight of five elephants) from the landfill in the first seven months of 2022 alone. To help the UU直播 community adjust to these new waste sorting options, students volunteered 457 hours as Zero-Waste Ambassadors last year, and the Office of Sustainability engaged with more than 400 students at zero-waste orientation events and through its online聽Zero-Waste Knowledge Base.

鈥淏efore I was actively involved, I didn鈥檛 fully appreciate the challenges of reducing and recovering waste, nor did I know what meaningful actions I could take as an individual,鈥� said Kirk Lau, a member of the Recycling Pioneers student group, which has been working with Buildings and Grounds since 2019 to develop and install聽聽on campus.

鈥淣ow I understand that it鈥檚 important for students to get involved, not only to share knowledge and raise awareness to change our waste culture, but also to foster a sense of community and collaboration.鈥�