Older Multi-Res Not Designed for Recycling Simple Sorting Programs Can Be Most Effective
November, 2007

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By Michael Gailius

Throughout North America, multi-unit complexes house up to one-third of the population of most urban centres. In years past, these buildings were constructed without the option of recycling and, as a result, almost all waste from this demographic went straight to landfill. Although most municipalities require new developments to incorporate recycling facilities as part of the building's infrastructure, the challenge of retrofitting an older complex can be daunting.

Building owners and managers are facing a combination of pressures, including diminishing landfill opportunities and the mainstreaming of environmental responsibilities. They are also confronting a host of new legislative requirements as provincial and municipal governments compete for leadership in the arena of environmental responsibility

Add to this the high population density of multi-use residential areas, and apartment recycling becomes the best opportunity to affect waste diversion. Although regulatory requirements vary from city to city, and province to province, the writing is on the wall: recycling is a must in multi-residential buildings.

There are definitely structural challenges. Small spaces make in-unit separation of recyclable materials inconvenient; garbage chutes were not designed for waste diversion; and a high turnover of tenants can translate into little investment in building management policies. Nevertheless, many building managers have realized that implementing a site-specific recycling program not only satisfies compliance issues, it also increases tenant goodwill and can result in significantly reduced waste hauling fees.

There are many sophisticated source separation options available. They include systems like chilled underground tanks from Finland for storage of organic material to modifying the existing garbage chute to accept a tri-sorter in the basement. Simpler solutions are also available.

Successful recycling systems typically capitalize on the existing partnership between management, tenants and the waste hauler, and use the right tools for the job. The old model of collecting refuse via garbage chutes and trash compactors is out of step with the new requirements to separate recyclables out of the waste stream.

One of the simplest solutions is for tenants to sort recyclable materials in their units and carry it to central bins where waste haulers can pick it up. Typically, this requires the purchase of some type of apartment blue box and central containers to store the material. The advantage is that each unit now has its own two-stream waste management system.

"Because trash is taken to a landfill, but recyclables are taken to be separated, broken-down and reconstituted into fresh material, a clean sort has to start at the source," says Craig Busch, President of Busch Systems. "Nobody's going to separate this stuff once it has become intermixed. It's much easier to start at the beginning - the person who is throwing something away."

Blue box style recycling is not an overly sophisticated solution, but it can be effective as it works in any building, regardless of size or layout and represents a relatively small capital investment. Common areas such as laundry rooms, parking lots, entrances and patios should also be furnished with containers to capture recyclable materials. Landlords often get good participation if they give new tenants recycling information with their lease.

Cleanly sorted material is a valuable resource for the waste services provider so hauling fees should reflect the quality of a building's recycling program. When done well, it will reduce hauling costs to landfill and increase the raw materials a hauler will purchase from the site.

With the right partnership of tenants, suppliers, management and haulers, a waste-diversion program for any type of multi-unit property is not only achievable and affordable, but can continue to reduce environmental and financial impacts well into the future.

Michael Gailius is an Account Manager with Busch Systems International and can be contacted at michael@buschsystems.com. The preceding article is reprinted from Canadian Apartment Magazine, June 2007.