Waste Reduction
Most of us were taught about the 3R’s of sustainability when in primary school (reduce, reuse, recycle) but that has since expanded to five 5R’s of sustainability (refuse, reduce, reuse, rot and recycle). Our office has worked hard to implement waste reduction programs to allow you to have an easier time being sustainable on campus. Here is a quick list of programs we have implemented to help you practice the 5R's.
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Refuse: We actively encourage students who are able to use reusable items whenever able and possible. The Laurier Bookstore offers a variety of reusable products.
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Reduce: Food Services provides Food and Drink Discounts to encourage you to reduce your waste. This includes a $0.40 discount for bringing your own mug to any food vendor location and a reusable container program that allows you to reduce your environmental footprint.
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Reuse: Following a successful pilot in 2018, we now offer a Freestore year round, full of gently used items donated by the Laurier community! This helps you reuse items rather than creating new waste, and it’s free.
- Rot & 5. Recycle: We understand that not everything can be refused, reduced or reused so we have worked with Waste Management to provide you with organics and commingled recycling waste streams to allow you to properly dispose of your waste.
Organics
We offer organic waste streams in every building on campus and actively encourage you to consider where you are disposing of your organic waste before you throw it away!
Organics Recycling in Residence
Over the past several years we have been working to bring organics recycling to Residence buildings at Laurier. Here are the initiatives we have piloted so far:
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Pre-2018: Organics bins were placed in various residences with the leadership of dons throughout several residences with many lessons learned
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2018-19: Tested out a composting pilot in MacDonald House (a double dorm-style residence) and Leupold Residence (an all-female double dorm-style residence)
- 2019-2020: Shifted the organics pilot to include bins at Clara Conrad Hall and Bricker Residence (dormitory style and apartment style, respectively) through the leadership of custodial staff and residence staff
- greasy pizza boxes
- Laurier take-out containers
- Tim Horton's cups (no lids)
- napkins, paper towels, tissues
- tea bags, coffee grinds and filters
- fruits and vegetables
- dairy and baked goods
- bread, pasta, grains, rice
- meat waste, including bones
- damp soiled newspaper
- paper bags, plates, cups
- candy
- eggs and eggshells
- sugar bags
- shredded paper
- microwave oven popcorn bag
- plastics of any kind
- waxed paper
- grease and other liquids
- personal hygiene products
- Styrofoam
- condiment packages
- straws
- chewing gum
Move Out
The Move Out Program at Wilfrid Laurier University has been operating since 2016 and has successfully diverted over 25 tons of waste from landfill. The Move Out program will running again in spring 2024.
During Winter Term exams, bins are placed strategically around residence buildings to collect four streams: e-waste, textiles, household/school supplies, and non-perishable food. These line up with the items that can be donated and recycled through our partnerships with the LSPIRG Distro/GSA Mini Market, Textbooks for Change, Greentec, Diabetes Canada, GoodWill and the Laurier Freestores. At the end of exams, members of the Sustainability Office team and volunteers bag and sort donations, while the Grounds team puts out the bins and transports all donations to be sorted.
Look for the bright yellow bins with black lids labelled Move Out Donation Bin, and please be gentle when placing items inside.
Freestore
Please note that both the Waterloo and Brantford Freestores will be closed for the winter break beginning December 8, 2023 and will be reopening January 9, 2024.
The Freestores are designated spaces on the Waterloo and Brantford campuses where the Laurier community may come to pick-up or drop-off new and gently used items free of charge. Items carried in the Freestore include everyday essentials, dishes and glassware, small appliances and kitchenware, and a range of home decor items. We encourage students to consider choosing a gently used item before puchasing something new.
The Freestores support Laurier's zero-waste goals and supports a culture of circularity on campus. It is also designed to support students by providing an avenue to obtain goods at no cost.
As of 2022, the Freestore has also amalgamated the Lending Library to provide students with a one-stop-shop for all their household needs.
We encourage students to bring bags to carry their items but there will also be boxes and bags available to carry items in both locations.
The Waterloo campus Freestore is run by the Sustainability Office in partnership with Martin Luther University College, any questions or concerns should be directed to Dan McGregor at dmcgregor@wlu.ca. The Brantford campus Freestore is run by the Dean of Students Office in partnership with the Sustainability Office, any questions or concerns should be directed to Tyler Britz at tbritz@wlu.ca.
- Waterloo WAT Click this tab to view content pertaining to Waterloo
- Brantford BRANT Click this tab to view content pertaining to Brantford
How to Access the Freestore
The Waterloo campus Freestore is in room K002 in the Special Constable Services building at 232 King St. To access the store from the main entrance, head down to the basement, go right and you will find the Freestore at the end of the hallway.
The Freestore operates weekly throughout the school year (September - April), Tuesday to Thursday, 10a.m. to 12p.m. For those who are unable to attend during these hours, individual appointments to browse the Freestore can be made during regular working hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m. by emailing sustainability@wlu.ca.
Guidelines for Using the Freestore
Before you leave, see a staff member to weigh your items so we can keep track of the volumes of goods that have been diverted from landfill. We also ask that items not be removed from the donation bin outside the door as they have not gone through proper screening by staff members yet.
How to Donate
Consider donating good condition items you are no longer using or items you are considering replacing so others may get use out of them.
Drop-offs can be made year-round, in person during operating hours listed above, during the Move Out program which runs at the end of each school year, or by gently placing them in the donation bin outside the Freestore door.
How to Access the Freestore
The Brantford campus Freestore is located in the Level 1 Lounge in the basement of the One Market building at 1 Market St. Once inside the Level 1 Lounge, head down the hallway next to the kitchenette and you will find it around the corner on the right.
The Freestore operates weekly throughout the school year (September - April), Tuesdays from 12p.m. to 2p.m., Wednesdays from 4p.m. to 6p.m., and Thursdays from 2p.m. to 4p.m. Users of the Freestore must also present their One Card to gain access to the space.
Guidelines for Using the Freestore
Students may take up to three items from the Freestore. Once you have chosen your items, please see a staff member to have your items weighed so we may track the volume of goods being diverted from landfill. To ensure all students have a chance to use the program, we ask the Freestore only be used when needed. We also ask that items not be removed from the donation bin outside the door as these have not had a chance to go through the screening process by staff members.
How to Donate
Consider donating good condition items you are no longer using or items you are considering replacing so others may get use out of them.
Drop-offs can be made year-round either at the front desk of the Level 1 Lounge and in the yellow donation bin outside the Freestore, Monday to Friday, 9a.m. to 4p.m. Any inquiries about the Freestore or making a donation can be directed to tbritz@wlu.ca.
Recycling Program
At Laurier, we offer commingled recycling, which means all recyclable materials are mixed together in the same bin, collected and then sorted at a separate location. This makes it significantly easier to dispose of your recyclable materials while still helping to save the environment. However, even with commingled recycling, there is still important things to consider and follow to prevent contamination when purchasing or disposing of items.
The next time you go to the grocery store consider the items that you are putting in your cart.
Ask yourself: Is there a more sustainable option for this (i.e. can I find the same or similar product in a reusable container?) Could I purchase this elsewhere by bringing my own reusable container? (Zero Waste Bulk and Bulk Barn allow you to bring your own containers and avoid the fee of the container that is included in most pre-packaged products).
When disposing of items, make sure to properly wash out all containers! Scrape out all organic waste that is left in the containers into the organics bin and rinse out containers before putting them in the recycling. Recyclables that are not properly rinsed out can contaminate recycling, cause a whole batch of recycling to go into the landfill!
Look at the recycling guides.On-campus, we work with a company called Waste Management to dispose of on-campus waste. We mainly recycle plastics 1-5 and 7 on campus so be sure to check the plastic listed on your container before disposing of it!
Electronic Waste
Our Facilities and Asset Management department in partnership with ICT has a program to properly recycle and dispose of electronic items. There is a drop-off location for e-waste items at 202 Regina St. loading dock at the back of the building, in the Waterloo campus Freestore, in the Convenience bin located in the Conscourse, and in 230 Regina in the Distribution Services area. E-Waste is also collected during our yearly Move Out Program.
- Approved E-Waste Items: Monitors, towers, keyboards, laptops & computers, scanners, printers, computer mice, TVs, and fax machines.
- Unapproved E-Waste Items: Microwaves, photocopiers, movies, and LCD projectors.
Battery Recycling
Most types of batteries are accepted for recycling, however, Lithium (Li) batteries must have their terminals taped prior to depositing into the bin.
Batteries can be dropped off at the following Waterloo campus locations:
- Faculty of Science Room N1054
- 81 Lodge Street, Facilities Operations
- Waterloo Freestore, Special Constables Services Building, KB002
- Convenience bin located in the Concourse
- 230 Regina, Distribution Services area
- Faculty of Education, Room BA313C
- Accessible Learning, Room 1C11
- Library Admin Room L2-213
Batteries can be dropped off at the following Brantford campus locations:
- ICT - RAC East RCE110
- Service Laurier - Grand River Hall GRH202
- Facilities and Asset Management - SC Johnson SCJ112
- All business centres have small brown bins for bateries
Textbook Recycling
At the beginning and end of each semester, the Laurier Bookstore collects used textbooks from students to re-sell.
Laurier also has a partnership with Textbooks for Change. They collect any post-secondary textbooks from the past 15 years. To date, the program has collected over 25,000 textbooks for over 220,000 students in East Africa – Which is valued at over $500,000 USD! Find a Dropbox on campus to donate your textbooks!