Waste, Materials, & Consumables

Goal:

Transition towards a zero-waste community by creating opportunities for residents to share, reuse, and repair, supporting the circular economy. Thoughtful building and neighbourhood design, along with community programming, make waste sorting for recycling and organics easy and efficient for all residents and visitors. Construction and demolition practices make efficient use of building materials and optimize their reuse and diversion from landfill.

Targets

By 2035, per capita waste emissions are reduced by at least 30% from 2022 levels. 

By 2050, UBC’s residential neighbourhoods will have achieved net-zero emissions from solid waste.

Waterfall diagram
Net-zero emissions pathway for Waste, Materials, & Consumables. (Click to open in a new tab)

Waste, Materials, & Consumables

Highlights of Progress to Date

  • Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) requirements for recycling of construction materials and for recycling and organics facilities in buildings.
  • UNA Green Depot offers free specialty recycling services for UNA residents and has recently expanded hours with additional staff and community volunteer support.
  • The UNA has increased the number of community yard sales it runs each year. Yard Sales help build community connection and reduce environmental and economic waste.

Action Highlights

🟩 high impact mitigation   🟦 high impact adaptation

Selected key actions are summarized below. To see the full detailed list of actions, please refer to the NCAP action matrix located in the Documents and Resources page.

  • Support the UNA to facilitate awareness campaigns on waste reduction and diversion.
  • Explore options to support UNA programming for community zero waste initiatives.
  • Review and plan alongside the UNA on opportunities for future expansion of community recycling services.
  • Require 90% diversion of construction and demolition waste in Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) (increasing from 85% currently).
  • Explore how to expand and enhance the UNA Green Depot.
  • Review and update REAP requirements for recycling and organics facilities in new neighbourhood buildings.
  • Facilitate opportunities for expansion of community recycling facilities.
  • Support the UNA to create community hubs and programming to support sharing, re-use and repair (e.g. clothing, bicycles, electronics, appliances).

Actions in this scope area will also help deliver the following co-benefits:

  • Affordability: reducing the costs associated with taking climate action
  • Community Connection: supporting opportunities for community interaction and connection
  • Access for All: making it easier for everyone to access spaces, information, processes, or programs
  • Academic Connection: providing opportunity for research connections with UBC’s academic community

Actions You Can Take

  • Buy and sell second hand items and donate used goods. Embrace the sharing economy.
  • Compost food waste, yard trimmings, and soiled paper.
  • Learn how to properly dispose of different items using the UNA Waste Wizard Tool.
  • Use reusable food ware such as refillable coffee cups. Avoid single use items such as coffee cups, plastic wrappers, bags and utensils.
  • Recycle more items at the UNA Green Depot.

Equity Considerations

  • Consider language and cultural barriers to recycling and organics collection

📓 Learn More!

Broader Impacts of Community Waste

NCAP’s community emissions from waste are caused by organic materials such as food waste in landfills degrading to release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. These local emissions don’t capture the full breadth of the global impact of disposing of items. 

Besides local emissions from landfills, consumer products include embodied emissions that occur during manufacturing and transportation. When items are thrown out – whether in waste or recycling, the embodied emissions associated with that creation process are also thrown out. These consumption-based emissions likely don’t occur locally, but they do impact the communities involved in production and contribute to global emissions.

Consumption-based emissions modelling from Metro Vancouver suggests that the embodied emissions in waste and recycling streams account for more than 80% of the overall impact of these items 9 . Understanding this broader impact of community waste helps highlight the importance of waste reduction and other zero waste initiatives.

This demonstrates the value of the zero-waste hierarchy - first reduce, then reuse, then recycle. Reducing consumption altogether, or reusing and repairing items you already have, has a tremendous impact on lowering the full breadth of emissions associated with community waste streams. 

Explore More
UNA Green Depot
The Green Depot, operated by the UNA, offers socially, economically, and environmentally responsible waste repurposing and disposal options to UNA and UBC community members.
https://www.myuna.ca/depot/
Return-it Express and Go
The Express & GO Station at UBC is located in the parking lot at 2465 Health Sciences Mall, and is open from 8am to 8pm.
https://sustain.ubc.ca/return-it-express-go
Community Resources
Visit the UNA website for resources around waste reduction including clothing and textiles and community yard sales.
https://www.myuna.ca/sustainability/