Maurice Cody Waste Audit Results

On Thursday, October 16 the student EcoTeam conducted a Waste Audit with the assistance of Mieke Foster, Waste Management Specialist for the TDSB. We sorted through all the garbage from

Wednesday's collection and divided it into categories.Then we weighed the materials in each category. Ideally all the items would be real garbage and there wouldn't be much of it. We are getting close to achieving this. We havconsiderably reduced our garbage and improved our use of appropriate containers from former yea

e

rs.

Recyclable Containers

(plastic, metal, glass,

paper milk/juice cartons)

Recyclable Paper(e.g. copy paper,

newspapers, notebooks, magazines)

Other Recyclables(e.g., e-waste,

printer/tone cartridges, CFL bulbs, batteries)

Food Waste and Soiled Papers

(e.g. paper towels, plates, cups)

Real Garbage (must go to landfill)

0.1 kg 0.4 kg 0.1 kg 17.9 kg 4 kg

Observations: We threw a total of 22.5 kg of materials into the garbage bin, 21.9 kg of which belonged there (17.9 kg of food and 4.0 kg of other garbage materials). That's a recovery rate of 97%.

There was some uneaten, unfinished and unwrapped food. However most food is eaten or taken back home.

Some students are still bringing recyclable drink containers (vs. reusable drink containers) to school and some containers are ending up in the garbage pails instead of the recycling bins.

There was 0.5 kg of useable items including some markers, feathers, and pencils.

There were a couple batteries - we have a battery-collection centre in the library.

There were a lot of paper towels from the bathrooms.

The only 'other recyclable' was a broken calculator. We have a pile of electronic equipment such as computers that are waiting to go to the recycling depot. We put it there.

We dumped out a paper recycling toter and a jars and cans recycling toter and although we didn't measure the quantities, a cursory look revealed that most of the items in the containers were indeed recyclable. Exceptions were some paper that had too much paint and glitter to be deemed recyclable, some clamshell containers which are not recyclable, a couple of disposable coffee cups, and a few jammers. There was a fair amount of reusable paper and a batch of unused computer paper.

We learned that staff have a proportionally greater footprint than students as far as food wastes go. We are a short walk away from the restaurants on Bayview, many of which provide ready-to-serve foods in disposable packaging. But staff is using far fewer disposable coffee cups than last year.

Waste Reduction Work Plan 2009 -2010

Targets

What do we need to improve?

Actions

How will we achieve the targets?

Indicators of Success

How will we know when the target is met?

Resources

What human and material resources

are needed?

Include costs.

Budget

Who holds the

budget?

Timeline

Start date/ end date

Results

Have we met the targets?

Reduce lunchroom waste

Blitz the lunchroom on Waste Reduction Week - Every day give an award (e.g. treat) to students who bring all their lunch in reusable containers. Advertise this initiative daily (with results of former day's efforts) on the morning announcements and on the school web site. Include info. regarding boomerang lunches, reusable packaging

Count the number of treats handed out at the beginning of the week and compare to end of week - return on a random day the following week and the following month Compare. Have we handed out 30% more treats?

Human - teacher and ecoteam members walk through lunchroom during lunch, handing out treats, talking to students about alternatives, checking garbage pail and recycling containers for appropriate placement of materials Financial - $75

FSA •Oct 19 -Oct. 23

Remove garbage pails from lunchroom - but leave recycling containers on a trial basis. Hold a waste audit in January.

Report from caretakers as to lunchroom garbage left around the school

N/A N/A Begin Oct 26

Waste audit January

Create video announcements outlining benefits of reusable containers.

Rick take charge of this initiative, teaching students, supervising production, and posting on the web.

N/A to March 12

Lunchroom waste audit Is there less garbage and reyclables?

•EcoTeam members •Audit materials (e.g. gloves, record sheet, labeled basins) •$50 for basins, disposable gloves..

FSA 1)January

2)April

Reduce Paper Towel Waste in the Washrooms

Look into monetary and energy costs of paper towels and air dryers

We will be able to compare costs of the two so that we can decide whether to pursue air dryers as an alternative to paper towels

Rick will take this on. N/A by November 25

Reduce amount of one-use paper being put into the recycling bin.

Survey classes for use of bin. Provide classes that don't have one with a labeled bin.

All classes have bin. Report from EcoTeam reps that the bins are being used.

•storage basins (item 133 at $4 ea.)

Library budget

November 11

Conduct an audit of classroom wastes. Inform individual classes as to their individual results and school community as to school results.

0 sheets of photocopy paper in bin

EcoTeam N/A November 25

Educate staff and students through train the trainer (EcoTeam class reps) approach.

We will survey EcoTeam class reps.

N/A N/A Introduced at Oct 28th meeting. Follow-up in November.

Reduce photocopy paper use

Conduct mini-lessons on alternatives to worksheets at staff meetings.

Use counter to check for change in photocopy use.

Clerk will monitor counter.

N/A November 1 to May 1.

Purchase more items as used rather than new.

Consider whether an item can be bought used rather than new with each purchase.

Continue to use Trading Post.

Reflect back on school purchases.

N/A N/A Throughout the school year.

The Grade 3, 4, 5 EcoTeam worked very hard for over two hours to complete the audit. Thanks to parents Lilly McIssac and Karen Stephenson for their help with this. And thanks to caretakers Pat, George and

Brad for collecting and labelling the garbage and cleaning up afterwards.

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/mauricecody/

maurice cody waste audit report on website