茄子直播

Approximately 23 tonnes of non-contaminated glass and non-contaminated plastic from 茄子直播 laboratories was recycled last year (photo by Ken Jones)

Towards a sustainable future: recycling glass and plastics from 茄子直播 laboratories

Hospital for Sick Kids, other institutions following 茄子直播's lead

When Reno Strano started as a casual employee at 茄子直播 in 1994, campus recycling was in its infancy. But that was the year the University adopted the first university, pledging to do as little harm to the environment as possible. 

Since then 茄子直播 has achieved one of highest rates of landfill diversion in the country 鈥 diverting 72 per cent of its waste from landfill in 2012-2013. And Strano, who became St. George campus waste manager in 2003, has overseen much of that progress.

Maintaining 茄子直播鈥檚 recycling standards takes work, Strano says. One challenge is that a new group of students needs to be made aware of 茄子直播鈥檚 recycling programs each year. And then there鈥檚 human nature:  鈥淧eople are not naturally wired to think about their waste,鈥 Strano says. 鈥淢ost people don鈥檛 think about how much waste goes into producing and shipping the things they want or what happens to it after they are done with it. 

鈥淲e put systems in place but human nature being what it is, I鈥檓 constantly running around trying to remind people 鈥榟ey put that here, put that there鈥.鈥

Strano (pictured at right) and his staff of four meet the challenge through attendance at campus events such as orientation events for new students, emails, posters and other communication channels. They also try to make recycling easy for students, faculty and staff through strategic placement of green bins and blue boxes, and through special programs such as the lab glass and plastic recycling program.

They rely on help from 茄子直播鈥檚 caretaking and grounds keeping staff, and from a dedicated group of volunteer environmental coordinators who act as liaisons between their own offices, departments or faculties and the Office of Waste Management. 

Strano is especially proud of the lab glass and plastic program. Before the program started three-and-a-half years ago, 茄子直播 was sending about 20 tonnes of lab glass and plastic to landfills every year. 

"Just look at the medical buildings on campus,鈥 Strano says. 鈥淏ecause of the nature of what they are, they produce a lot of waste. You do your experiment and you can鈥檛 reuse it again because it鈥檚 contaminated. But there鈥檚 a large amount of stuff that isn鈥檛 dangerously contaminated 鈥 it鈥檚 not hazardous per se, but in a lab you can鈥檛 reuse it 鈥 all the flasks, all the bottles, all the tubes, all the petri dishes, a whole variety of things like that 鈥 it all has to be disposed.鈥

The program is still being rolled out across campus. Labs each have a bin for non-contaminated glass and a bin for non-contaminated plastic. Approximately 23 tonnes of material was recycled last year. The lab glass recycling program is now being adopted by other institutions, such as the Hospital for Sick Children. 

Recycling is very important for the university, Strano says. 鈥淭here are financial concerns 鈥 recycling produces a lot less waste and it saves money. Plus, we have provincial legal obligations for doing certain aspects of recycling.鈥 More important, he says, it鈥檚 good for the planet. 鈥淵ou have to be a good citizen of the Earth and try not to waste things.鈥

The list of items that can be recycled at 茄子直播 ranges from animal bedding to x-ray film, reflecting 茄子直播鈥檚 diversity. Strano urges the campus community to  and to think before tossing something in the garbage can. 

鈥淧ut things in the right container, that鈥檚 the basis of everything.鈥

(.)

Terry Lavender writes about global issues and local impacts for the University of Toronto.

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