海角社区

Waste sorting at 海角社区: Follow our guide to know how to sort and dispose of your waste properly.

FAQ on waste management

Organic waste

Where can I dispose of my organic waste on 海角社区's campuses?

You can find sorting stations with organic waste streams in the following academic buildings on the downtown campus:鈥

  • 680 Sherbrooke
  • Arts
  • Brown
  • Chancellor Day Hall
  • Durocher 3465
  • Education
  • Elizabeth Wirth Music
  • Frank Dawson Adams
  • Ferrier
  • Gelber
  • Genome
  • James Administration
  • Leacock
  • LSC - Animal Centre
  • LSC - Cancer
  • LSC - Bellini
  • Ludmer
  • Martlet House
  • McConnell Engineering
  • McIntyre
  • McTavish 3610
  • Penfield 1085
  • Penfield 1086
  • Pulp and Paper
  • Redpath Library
  • Rutherford Physics
  • Trottier

You can find sorting stations with organic waste streams in the following academic buildings on the Macdonald campus:

  • Barton
  • Centennial Centre
  • Cine
  • Facilities Management
  • Macdonald-Stewart
  • Parasitology
  • Raymond
  • Technical Services

Organic waste disposal is also available in 海角社区鈥檚 dining halls. There are Eco Stations for organic waste located in Carrefour Sherbrooke, New Residence, Bishop Mountain Hall, Douglas Hall, and Royal Victoria College dining halls.鈥疞earn more about Food Services鈥 sustainability initiatives on their website.

Why is composting not available campus wide? When will it be available everywhere?

海角社区鈥檚 long-term goal is to offer organic waste collection at buildings across its campuses鈥攁n important step in the journey to zero-waste by 2035.鈥

However,鈥痯ilot locations鈥痬ust first鈥痙emonstrate鈥痮ngoing success. With continued education, we鈥痟ope to鈥痵ee鈥痑 shift in campus culture and awareness. Once contamination鈥痠s consistently below the allowable threshold at pilot locations, we will be able to better advocate for campus-wide鈥痮rganic waste collection.鈥

How can I properly dispose of organic waste if compost isn't collected in my building on campus?

As鈥痮rganic waste collection expands,鈥痶he University will continue to evaluate the location of bins on campus. Until then, please鈥痙ispose of all organic waste in鈥痶he closest鈥痓uilding that does have鈥痑 compost bin.鈥

What happens to compost generated at 海角社区?

Organic waste generated at 海角社区 is鈥痚ither processed at鈥痶he composting facility at D茅p么t Rive-Nord鈥痮r鈥痑t a city compost site in the Southwest borough of Montr茅al.鈥

Some of the compost produced at鈥痶he D茅p么t Rive-Nord facility鈥痠s redistributed to local municipalities--many of which鈥痷se鈥痶he compost鈥痜or landscaping. In鈥痮ther鈥痬unicipalities, compost is sold or given away to citizens, or placed back on agricultural land.鈥

The remaining compost from the D茅p么t Rive-Nord facility is used directly on the landfill at D茅p么t Rive-Nord.鈥疉fter covering 40鈥痬eters鈥痮f compacted garbage with clay, the facility places composted topsoil on the top and revegetates it.鈥

The majority of鈥痶he compost processed by the city鈥痠n the Southwest borough鈥痠s redistributed to Montr茅al鈥檚 residents, community gardens, and鈥痭eighborhoods鈥痶hrough projects in urban agriculture and public works鈥 horticultural projects.鈥

What can I compost at 海角社区?

Any organic waste item can be composted on campus. That includes鈥痜ood leftovers, paper towel, tissue, certain plastics marked 鈥渃ompostable鈥 or 鈥#7 PLA鈥 or cardboard food containers. Please refer to the following list for additional guidance.鈥

YES NO
Food waste Inorganic material
Napkins, tissue, and paper towels (must be free of cleaning products)听 Hazardous household waste (i.e., paper towel soiled with chemical products)
Coffee cups marked as compostable听 Disposable coffee cups which are not marked as compostable听
Soiled cardboard or paper (I.e., pizza boxes and paper plates)听 Waxed or laminated plastic and cardboard (i.e., plastic-lined cardboard takeout containers)听听听
Tea bags, coffee grounds, and coffee filters听 Liquids
Bamboo utensils听 Plastic marked as compostable, biodegradable, BPI, and/or #7(PLA)
Parchment paper听 罢别虫迟颈濒别蝉听
BNQ-certified compostable bag Animal waste听
Flowers and house plants听

Why does hard plastic marked as compostable, biodegradable, #7(PLA), or BPI have to go in the landfill stream?

Hard plastic marked as compostable, biodegradable, #7(PLA), or BPI is not recyclable. It is also not accepted at compost facilities in Montreal because it can take up to 1000 years to decompose. Therefore, please empty the food scraps from the container into the compost, then place the plastic container in the landfill stream.

Electronic waste

I have electronic waste like batteries and old cell phones. Where should I dispose of these items?

Batteries

海角社区 Hazardous Waste Management offers special battery collection bins in the lobbies of most major buildings on campus. Otherwise, batteries can be sent using internal mail service to 鈥楻ecycling of materials, Hazardous Waste Management, McIntyre Medical Building, Room 129. You can find the list of battery bin locations here.听

Electronics

An Electrobac bin has been installed in the lobby of 680 Sherbrooke W. for the use of all 海角社区 students, faculty, and staff. An Electrobac bin is a recycling bin for small electronic devices. Following collection, the items are recycled or refurbished responsibly, following environmental best practices. To use this service, simply leave your devices in the bin.听, a non-profit Canadian organization, provides additional information about its mission and practices on its website.

Old cellphones can also be dropped off or mailed to any Bell World, Espace Bell or Bell Mobility store, where they will be refurbished and donated to women鈥檚 shelters.

What can I put in the Electrobac bin installed in the lobby of 680 Sherbrooke?

Electrobac bin

For a comprehensive list, see

  • Small electronics (e.g., phones, iPods, tablets, cameras)
  • Peripherals (e.g., USB keys, cables, keyboards, headphones)
  • Ink cartridges

Refused materials:

  • Batteries
  • Lightbulbs
  • CDs/DVDs
  • VHS and other types of cassettes
  • Items that would be collected through the

What will happen to the data on a device?

When you recycle a device in an Electrobac bin, the data in your device is safe! All your data will be permanently destroyed or erased. For details, visit .

Why is it important to recycle electronics responsibly?

Used electronics are not trash: They contain materials, such as plastic and metal, that can be reclaimed and reintroduced into the manufacturing supply chain to produce new products. Many older electronics contain substances that, if not properly handled, could have a negative impact on the environment.

Once collected, the devices in the Electrobac bin are assessed to determine whether they will be refurbished, or if their materials will be recycled.

Recycling

Do I put paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum cans in the same recycling bin?

Unlike the single-bin system you probably have at home, paper should not go into the same bin as plastic, glass and aluminum on the 海角社区 campus. 海角社区 separates their recycling into two streams - there is one bin for paper and cardboard and a second bin for plastic, metal and glass. This ensures that any food or drinks left on recycled containers do not contaminate clean paper, making it unrecyclable.

The recycling in my building is not being disposed of properly. Who should I call?

If your waste is not being properly recycled, you should contact your building porter (see Porter Services section of this page for contact info to reach your porter). If your building has no porter, your district supervisor will be able to help you.

General

Can I get deskside bins for my unit/department?

First, ask yourself if you really need a deskside bin! The University does not encourage additional deskside bins as research shows that鈥痶he use of鈥痗entralized waste stations is better for decreasing waste stream contamination. The reduction in the overall number of bins also enables safer occupational health for custodial teams who need to bend less frequently to collect material from deskside bins.鈥

If you determine that a deskside bin is absolutely required, your requests must be sent to the stockroom attendant who will provide you with a quote. A valid FOAPAL must be provided.鈥疨lease note that only deskside recycling or landfill waste bins may be provided.

What can I do to reduce waste at 海角社区

There are many ways to reduce waste at 海角社区. As an individual, you can bring reusable containers, mugs, and water bottles with you to avoid purchasing food and beverages in single-use packages. If you work at 海角社区, consider going through the Sustainable Workplace Certification process, which will challenge you and your team to reduce your waste and improve your overall sustainability. If you work in a wet lab, you can also check out the Sustainable Labs Guide. Lastly, you can host more sustainable events by working with the Sustainable Events consultants. They will walk you through several measures you can take to make your events more environmentally friendly, accessible and inclusive.

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