Waste Management

Residence makes every effort to ensure that we are diverting waste away from landfills and into places where it can be recycled. Every floor has access to paper and plastic recycling in their garbage collection areas or in lounges. Additionally, deposit stations can be found all around Residence!

Since 2013, the Housing Department has partnered with the Canadian Diabetes Association Clothesline Program and diverted more than 3,700 kilograms of items from local landfills – while also raising funds for an important cause.

Lookout for our red bins during move out so that you can donate your unwanted clothing items!

As part of ongoing commitments to waste reduction, there are two Special Waste Depots in residence. They are located in the Raven’s Roost (1^st Floor Stormont House) and the Department of Housing and Residence Life Services (261 Stormont House). These locations will accept the following items: batteries, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, printer toner cartridges.

Students in Frontenac, Prescott, and Leeds Houses are all supplied with one compost bin per suite.  If you’re not in one of the buildings above but are passionate about composting, you may borrow a composting bin through the Department of Housing and Residence Life Services! All you have to do is fill out the Residence Compost Program form, ensure you understand the commitment you’re making, and pick up your bin. If you wish to have a compost bin, please submit a work order through eRezLife.  To submit a work order, please log into eRezLife and under “Forms” click on “Work Order”, fill out your request and hit “Submit Work Order”.

*Update – September 19, 2023 – we are currently out of compost bins and have ordered more.  Should you place a work order for a compost bin, there will be a delay in receiving one.

Carleton has partnered with Electrobac to provide small electronica waster and ink cartridge recycling on campus. In residence, these waste bins are located in Residence Commons. These bins accept: headphones chargers and cables, memory cards, cell phones and cell phone chargers, ink cartridges.

(Not accepted- batteries, lights, VHS and cassettes.)

Through our waste management program, we are a certified zero-waste facility, with over 90% of our materials diverted from the landfill! Reusable cutlery, service, and glassware are provided to help reduce the amount of single use disposable waste entering the campus waste stream.

Our Ecologo napkins, made of 100% recycled content, are the only single use item in the dining hall, which are composted with the organic waste. Learn more about our zero-waste operations.

We’ve eliminated the use of trays at all our locations. Research shows that removing trays reduces food waste by 25-30% per person!

Our kitchens are equipped with a food waste management program known as Leanpath, which utilizes a scale and camera to provide real-time information about the waste we are producing. Based on recent Leanpath data, our team identifies the largest opportunities for waste reduction and creates waste prevention goals for those specific food items.

Our partner ClearFry picks up our used fryer oil and recycles it into bio-diesel fuel, which is then used to power landscape vehicles.

Instead of composting good food that is unable to be incorporated into our menu offerings, we use Food Rescue. Food Rescue is an online platform that connects businesses with excess unsold food to local social service organizations who will put it to great use! Carleton Dining directs donations to organizations like CUSA’s Unified Support Centre (USC) to help address student food insecurity.