Sustainability at UVic:
Compost and Recycling Initiatives

Photo from ICOR Environmental Portal (1)

Past and Present

A comprehensive composting program was implemented on campus in 2003, when all university operations (cafeterias and food kiosks) began composting food wastes (2).
Today there are three central compost stations where any community member can deposit food wastes. Recycling stations for paper and plastic are located in all classroom buildings, and the Student Union Building also offers drop-boxes for used batteries, plastic bags, and cell phones (3). Most recently, UVic has banned plastic utensils in its food outlets. Compostable bamboo cutlery is available instead - students can drop it in any composting outlet, and it will break down within two months. So far, according to UVic's Sustainability co-ordinator Sarah Webb, the response from users has been overwhelmingly positive (4). Students have been instrumental in effecting many of these opportunities over the years, especially through the elected representatives on the UVSS, and indeed, in any discussion of these programs, the very fact of their robust presence on campus must speak to this community’s awareness of our collective impact on the landscape and immediate environment. No matter how unarticulated, we all recognize this.

Visions for the Future

Today, the University has an extensive waste reduction program in place, and composting and recycling is widespread on campus. However (of course!), there’s always room for improvement. During the visioning exercises, students told us (overwhelmingly) that they want “more compost bins!” in more locations around campus. Not only would this increase ease-of-use for community members, but the increased visibility of compost and recycling stations could only lead to greater awareness (and use!) of these facilities on campus. Other waste-reduction initiatives proposed focus on energy awareness: “green grounds maintenance,” “retro-fit toilets” and “install low-energy lighting!” One particularly far-reaching visioner wants to see work-out energy from the gyms collected and harnessed to help power university operations!

We, the campus community, envision a future university landscape on which users tread lightly, aware of our good fortune and doing all that can be done to minimize the waste of our valuable common resources.

Content contributed by Katherine Allen, Crystal Cain and Jasmine Green