Success:

113% increase in recycling rates and over a third

reduction in total waste output

In November 2008, Toronto Green Community (TGC) and Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) partnered to work on a recycling education pilot project in a 238-unit Apartment building at 44 Willowridge Road in Etobicoke.  The building was predominantly a family building.  It housed a large ethnic population with 30% of the tenants being of Somali origin.

The pre-audit we conducted informed us of the state of recycling and waste management in the building. We were able to make recommendations and create a customized program specific to the needs of the building.

The launch was a highly visible promotion effort in the lobby of the building. We introduced ourselves and engaged the tenants.

Door-to-door visits were conducted in an attempt to personally visit each tenant and engage them in recycling education.

We conducted a post audit of the recycling process and found that recycling had increased 113% and garbage volume was reduced by 29% as a direct result of our program.

When we asked the tenants how they felt about the program and how they judged the program's success. All the tenants we met were very happy with the program; many of them had never recycled before and were now avid recyclers.

Due to the high turnover in apartment buildings, ongoing monitoring is an important part of this program. initial education is crucial to get tenants on board, but ongoing education ensures that tenants continue recycling and new tenants are educated right away. At Willowridge, we continued monitoring the program and returned to educate tenants six months after the initial Greening. This ensureed the continued success of the program year over year.

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