Waste Management Program Staged Evolution – Improved Results

1. Waste Management Program Staged Evolution – Improved Results

2. Building Statistics • 10 year old high rise building - 22 Floors • 283 suites – 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms • Residents – young families, working singles / couples & retired • Main languages – English / Chinese / Farsi / Korean & Russian • Proactive early participants in Waste Diversion

3. Early Leader – “On-Site” Compost Program • Starts 2003 Environment Committee - Toronto’s 1st! • Summer Operation/4 years • At start - low participation. • Residents empty into bin – staff pours into composter • Bags not included! • Communications in 4 languages helps. • 2007 – “Organics Pilot”. • Tote bin collections begin.

4. Convenient On Floor Recycling System • Dry Recyclables in blue boxes placed in the small chute rooms on each floor/Depot on 1st floor. • Daily collection by staff. • Rooms kept clean and safe - without any overflow issues. • Materials collected by staff into 360 litre blue tote bins • Taken by elevator downstairs. • 1st floor Depot Room for ground floor residents & oversized items

5. Main Floor Depot Recycling Room • Cardboard very bulky – not put in chute rooms. • Taken by residents to main floor Depot room. • Room access available to all residents - 24/7. • Some cardboard flattening is needed by staff. • Later - all recycling is mixed & placed in large steel bins. • Staff continues to monitor.

6. Phase 2 - Organics Depot - Main Floor • “On-site” compost finishes. • 1 of 30 sites to participate in City “Organics Pilot” in 2006. • Residents continue taking Kitchen Pails to Depot room. • This prevents bags from leaking in Hallway & Elevator. • Bag & all organics material put into green totes. • Cleaner & easier than having to separate & dispose of bag.

7. Levy Fees - Early proactive response! • Spring 2008 Board learns of pending garbage “levy fees”. • Rough annual budget estimate - $ 30,000. • Everyone must “pitch in” to lower the pending higher maintenance fees. • Residents notified in 5 languages - helps reduce excessive cost.

8. Organics on All Floors – convenient • 2010 Trial with small green bins in the chute rooms – same as blue bin recycling. • Staff emptying into 120 litre Green Tote bins in elevator. • Concerns about odours? • Board members monitor for a week (4 floors where they reside). • Odours are a non issue. • Daily routine / Weekends also • Garbage reduced / Levy lower

9. Organics Communications - all floors • Trial on Board members floors finish. • Program is expanded. • Communications strategy is unveiled. • Notices distributed to all residents. • Staff routine for emptying daily and cleaning bins rarely • Convenience helps diversion to improve

10. Communications - Tower Talk News • Newsletter publishes our first year savings over budget. • $ 30,000 is reduced to 25,628. • Residents congratulated on efforts to date. • Emphasis on continued improvement and further reductions.

11. Additional factors in cost reduction • Lessons from year one levy costs… • Former Super had poor performance! • Habitually put out partly filled garbage bins for collection. • Monthly cost down only from - $ 2,100 to $ 1,780 (below budget) • Monitoring continues.

12. City 3Rs Ambassador Program • Resident Volunteered to act as Building Liaison • City “educates” regarding the diversion program in collaboration • Board pleased at initiative to improve • Helps to reduce the Waste Levy billing cost