Bringing Down the Trash

We have a garbage problem.

Landfills across the country are filling up, and what’s in them is hurting our environment. Like methane gas, a major cause of global warming.

In Canada, 23% of methane comes from landfills, mostly from food scraps that could have been composted or used as renewable gas.

Keeping waste out of the garbage is a major challenge in apartment and condo buildings. In Toronto, only 28% of this waste is diverted, much lower than single-family homes.

A new study in St. James Town, Toronto, explores how high-rise residents deal with waste.

The study found that:

- 90% want to keep waste out of the garbage.
- 78% say this is part of their own daily routine.
- 91% see this as protecting the environment.
- But, 51% find waste diversion difficult to do in their buildings

Sorting different types of waste to keep them out of the garbage is: very important to me

Sorting different types of waste to keep them out of the garbage is: part of my daily routine

Sorting different types of waste to keep them out of the garbage is: a way of protecting the environment

Sorting different types of waste to keep them out of the garbage is: inconvenient and difficult to do

Figures may not all add to 100% due to rounding.

The Problem

Why? Poor information to residents. Weak regulation of landlords. Private rentals don’t have to provide organics bins, and are allowed to make separating recyclables confusing and difficult.

Some results of this? Our survey found that residents who sort their waste mistakenly put a lot of it in the garbage:

31% put sorted recyclables in the garbage chute.
60% put sorted organics in the garbage chute.
61% put batteries in the garbage, and 10% put them in the blue bin.
51% put medicines in the garbage, and 11% in the toilet.

It doesn’t have to be this way. High-rise renters know how to reduce garbage and want to do it. It’s time to listen to them.

This study is a joint venture between St. James Town Community Corner and Department of Sociology – University of Guelph

The Research Team

Lisa Kowalchuk

Associate Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Guelph

Trisha Einmann

PhD Candidate in Sociology
University of Guelph

S. Harris Ali

Professor of Sociology
York University

In their own words: the survey participants

Here is what St. James Town residents had to say about household waste management in their buildings:

We only have access to the garbage chute and there is no way to separate garbage, so because of that and because of my living situation, we have a tiny kitchen, I don’t separate my garbage and I felt guilty when I went through the survey. I don’t like that if we have bigger things that need to be disposed properly, even when we bring them out here [to the enclosure], they are all compiled together.

I wish that we had an organics program. Currently we do not have any program, and also dealing with recycling is quite inconvenient because we have to take it all the way downstairs and walk a little bit to get to the recycling center. I realize it’s an older building and it might be expensive to put these things in place, but I wish that was something that existed.

I want to be a very responsible tenant and neighbour, but I have noticed some of the people they don’t put all the garbage inside the chute, it’s all over the floor. But I just want to be mindful to separate all the waste and I always try to dump the recycling… Because of that we have lots of smell and the cockroaches, and sometimes bed bugs.

I’m willing to do it. I never heard anybody talking about it. There are never any fliers about it or anything.

The first thing is more awareness and more clear understanding. The important thing is clear direction because I believe most people are willing to dispose of waste the right way. If we provide a clear direction and the right tools, things can be much better.

In their own words: green team members

Observing the waste disposal system in my building has consistently reinforced my belief that small efforts from everyone can result in significant positive change, transforming the neighborhood into a better living space. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have found myself spending more time in my unit, and one of the most important tasks in my daily routine has become the disposal of household waste. I have come to realize that a lack of awareness and a clear understanding of proper waste disposal practices often leads to greater confusion and inefficiency, rather than contributing to cleanliness. Simply removing trash from one’s unit is insufficient; it is equally important to dispose of it correctly, ensuring that we achieve a meaningful impact on our own well-being, the community, and the environment. I am honored to serve as a volunteer with the Green Team to discuss waste management and identify solutions that can transform this process into a more effective and impactful one. Our discussions have been insightful, highlighting the complexities of waste management in high-rise buildings compared to smaller structures. We have identified several challenges, including tenant awareness, maintaining consistent ethical behavior, cooperation from property management, and the need for investment in the right processes and tools. Additionally, we were introduced to the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) and its commendable initiatives to combat climate change. I am deeply grateful to Professor Lisa Kowalchuk and the Corner for initiating this project. I also extend my thanks to all Green Team members for their time, research, and invaluable feedback. I look forward to many more projects of this nature that will contribute to making the St. James Town neighborhood even more vibrant, safe, and prosperous.

When I first learned of this new study - Waste Diversion and Reduction in Rental High-Rises in St. James Town, Toronto - I was instantly intrigued. I love my neighbourhood and I enthusiastically welcome any opportunity to support bringing positive attention to our wonderful community, especially academic, research and positive development attention that has the potential to improve our neighbourhood. As a long term resident of our culturally diverse and very densely populated vertical neighbourhood, I'm very interested & invested in high rise community engagement and innovation. As a life long equity & accessibility activist & advocate, I really appreciated the prospects of this study's willingness to address the multi-faceted challenges of high-rise waste management accessibility -- physically, cognitively, psychosocially, perceptually, economically, culturally, etc. I very much appreciated the opportunity to gather with like-minded residents in social and academic settings, to engage in conversations of conservation, sustainability and urban environmentalism successes, shortcomings and oversights federally, provincially and municipally, as well as at a very practical local level specific to our St James Town neighbourhood.