WASTE�MANAGEMENT:

COMPOSTING INFRASTRUCTURE &

EDUCATION IN GREATER MONTREAL

Waste Not Want Not

Map The System

April 2020

WASTE IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS� WASTE AFFECTS �INDIVIDUALS & ORGANIZATIONS ALIKE

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IMPACT

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Waste is a major contributor to the climate crisis & world hunger

Landfills are the 3rd leading emitter of Methane – a greenhouse gas 25x more environmentally damaging than CO2

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In 2019, China banned recyclable plastic from Western countries due to contamination & major health issues

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1/2 of residential waste is organic and can be composted

1/3 of food produced for humans ends up in landfills while malnutrition kills 3.1 million children per year

STATUS

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The magnitude of the problem is only increasing

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The world is getting an “F” grade on the waste-related UN sustainable development goals from the flagship report released in 2015

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Waste is projected to double by 2025 relative to 2015

ROOT CAUSE

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Today’s Western culture thrives on human overconsumption…

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Since the Industrial Revolution, waste has been increasing because of the culture shift towards over-consumption

CANADA CREATES THE MOST WASTE PER CAPITA IN THE WORLD�EACH CANADIAN GENERATES APPROX. 2.7KG OF WASTE PER DAY

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EXISTING MODELS: RECYCLING�WIDELY USED IN CANADA SINCE 1980

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Only 9% of Canada’s recycling gets recycled.

The other 91% ends up in landfills or oceans.

EXISTING MODELS: RECYCLING

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Recycling stamp regulations are unclear & enable greenwashing

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Montreal’s under-developed recycling industry has resulted in recyclables being sent to the landfill

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Until 2019, Canada shipped recycling to China for processing, generating tonnes of green house gas emissions

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Canadian recycling companies have no legal obligation to institution recycling if no profit will be gained.

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China banned Western recycling imports due to the health crisis that arose caused by improper sorting in homes

EXISTING MODELS: DONATION

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Donating used items to thrift stores is one strategy for reducing waste & repurposing items.

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The average U.S.

thrift store only sells 1/3

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of donated items.

The remaining

2/3 end up in the landfill.

EXISTING MODELS: ZERO-WASTE LIFESTYLE

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Zero-waste & bulk buying approaches have positive environmental impacts

Longevity challenge: individualized solutions rely on individuals' continuous efforts

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Scalability challenge: the majority of the population must commit to these lifestyles to have a significant global impact

INTERVIEW FINDINGS

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Education

Compost Practices

Challenges

For this research project, 17 organizations of the local waste ecosystem were interviewed.

Interviewees identified 7 key challenges:

Post-consumer composting is challenging for large campuses to control

General lack of infrastructure

Constant student turnover

Bureaucracy & ‘business as usual’

Need for a clear communication strategy to make waste sorting a habit

Cost of composting

Lack of cohesion between different levels of management

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The cost of composting is too high for many public institutions.

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Example: At Concordia, composting 1 MT of organic waste is 4X more expensive than sending it to landfills.

Cost of composting

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The cost of composting is too high for many public institutions.

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Example: At Concordia, composting 1 MT of organic waste is 4X more expensive than sending it to landfills.

The City of Montreal has launched a pilot project to expand city composting to small institutions

A solution!?

Cost of composting

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Montreal’s pilot project lacks communication between stakeholders: from city reps to institution administration, to grassroot groups.

Lack of cohesion between different levels of management

KEY SOLUTIONS

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REDUCE WASTE GENERATION

IMPROVE WASTE SORTING

DIVERT WASTE FROM LANDFILLS

INCREASE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY

REthink

REduce

REuse

Regulations Against Planned Obsolescence

Zero-Waste on an Institutional Level

Incentive Programs for Zero-Waste Policies

Waste Creation & Management Education

Expand Availability of Bulk Items & Items with Reduced Packaging

Increase Availability & Affordability of Reusable Items

Repurpose Waste materials: Building Materials, Art Supplies, Clothing, Plastics…etc.

KEY SOLUTIONS

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REDUCE WASTE GENERATION

IMPROVE WASTE SORTING

DIVERT WASTE FROM LANDFILLS

INCREASE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY

WASTE SORTING THROUGH EDUCATION

Increase Effective Signage, Workshops, & In-Person Education

Demerit Systems & Fines for Improper Sorting

Increase Sorting Centre Availability & Acceptable Materials

Increase Simplicity & Access to Recycle & Compost Systems

KEY SOLUTIONS

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REDUCE WASTE GENERATION

IMPROVE WASTE SORTING

DIVERT WASTE FROM LANDFILLS

INCREASE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY

DIVERT WASTE AWAY FROM LANDFILLS

Repurpose Materials

Donation & Consignment Programs

Biogas Generation

Compost & Recycle

KEY SOLUTIONS

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REDUCE WASTE GENERATION

IMPROVE WASTE SORTING

DIVERT WASTE FROM LANDFILLS

INCREASE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY

INCREASE CAPACITY OF LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE

INCREASE FUNDING TO SORTING CENTRES

Montreal has invested in 5 new sorting, recycling & composting facilities.

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One centre costs 1/4 billion dollars.

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Sorting centres are often financially challenged.

THE ISSUE

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These strategies are being applied in isolation.

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Implement the 4 solutions & coordinate all waste ecosystem stakeholders.

OUR SOLUTION

OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCE �GUILT FROM THE FOOD �WASTE THEY GENERATE

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Individuals need education, infrastructure, & policies to change food waste culture

Top-down & bottom up collaboration is needed to make tools for reducing environmental footprints accessible

With the rise of composting individuals have become more aware of food waste

85%

WASTE SORTING HABITS

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Top-down commitment coupled with grassroots broad-impact education

WASTE NOT WANT NOT BEGAN IN 2016.

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The Approach:

multi stakeholder collaboration with

Students

Administration

Professors

WASTE NOT WANT NOT

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Average weight of annual

waste per person has dropped by 16% [6.1 kg

per person per year]

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That’s about 2 months

worth of garbage every

year never generated

SINCE WNWN BEGAN IN 2016

Access All Data ConcordiaCompost.ca/data

THANK YOU

ilovecompost@concordia.ca

APPENDIX

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INSTITUTIONS INTERVIEWED

INTERVIEW FINDINGS

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Education

Compost Practices

Challenges

For this research project, 17 members of the local waste ecosystem were interviewed.

Every institution interviewed employed some method of education:

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Student-led programs, supported by staff.

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Downside: relies on student initiative which varies from year-to-year resulting in inconsistent activities

High Schools

Climate Groups

Audit school waste bins

CEGEPS & Universities

Student Associations

Take local action

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INTERVIEW FINDINGS

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Education

Compost Practices

Challenges

For this research project, 17 members of the local waste ecosystem were interviewed.

Every institution interviewed employed some method of education:

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Non student-led campaigns.

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In-person education activities show the most success

Waste Sorting Specific Education

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General Sustainability Focus

Signage

Education

INTERVIEW FINDINGS

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Education

Compost Practices

Challenges

For this research project, 17 members of the local waste ecosystem were interviewed. These are the findings:

Most institutions interviewed already had composting

infrastructure or had plans to start composting within one year

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Most local institutions…

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compost with Compost MTL, LaFleche, and City of Montreal

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have pre-consumption composting during food preparation but not post-consumption composting

CURRENT SOLUTION EFFORTS

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CURRENT SOLUTION EFFORTS .2

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CURRENT SOLUTION EFFORTS .3

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CURRENT SOLUTION EFFORTS .4

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Media