UBC is developing a comprehensive Waste Action Plan based on a campus waste audit and consultations with students, staff, faculty, and working groups. The Plan will outline UBC’s targets to reach new milestones in waste reduction and management, and the actions required to achieve our goals.

Campus Waste Audit

UBC currently diverts about 44 per cent of its operational waste from the landfill. We reduce, reuse, recycle and responsibly manage our waste. We’ve also launched a broad range of successful waste reduction programs over the years, from greening our supply chain to promoting reusable containers and composting.

But we can do more—much more, based on the results of a waste audit conducted at UBC in 2010. According to our audit, the predominant materials that UBC still sends to the landfill are organics, paper and plastic. Only five per cent of UBC’s overall waste is considered non-recyclable, based on current technologies. The chart below outlines the composition of UBC’s operational waste.

Initial Consultation

Campus Sustainability conducted a full-day workshop and an open house in 2011, to get the UBC community involved in the development of the Waste Action Plan. Approximately 40 staff and faculty members, students and residents participated in the sessions.

Participants outlined their priorities for waste management at UBC. The vast majority of participants shared a vision of achieving a zero-waste campus, with key priorities identified as:

• organics and composting
• supply chain waste reduction
• financial mechanisms
• communications and branding; and
• integrated ownership and engagement.

Potential actions that UBC could take to address each priority were also identified in the consultation stage, for further exploration.

Next Steps

The Waste Action Plan is in development at UBC, in collaboration with the University Neighbourhoods Association. Input from the initial consultation—along with technical analysis by Working Groups of staff, faculty, students, residents and others—is being considered in the development process.

The Plan is scheduled for completion in 2013.

Learn More

Sign-up for the Campus + Community Planning e-mail list, to receive Waste Action Plan updates.

Download the Waste Action Plan Discussion Paper to find out more about waste management at UBC.

For more information, contact Bud Fraser, UBC's Water and Zero Waste Engineer.