Waste collection & reduction
The Waste Reduction unit manages UVic's recycling, compost and landfill waste. We keep the campus clean while diverting waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working towards UVic's goal of becoming a zero-waste campus.
We're at the front lines of UVic's sustainability efforts. Our services are supported by education and outreach programs through Campus Planning and Sustainability.
Learn more about UVic's waste reduction strategy and how you can help. Find out what you can recycle and where at the UVic Recyclepedia.
Routine collection
Details
- For
- The UVic community
- Cost
- No charge
- Team
- Waste Reduction
- Schedule
-
- Sort-It-Out station bins are emptied as needed.
- Loading dock bins are emptied on a schedule based on their typical usage.
Routine waste collection is centrally funded. It includes Sort-It-Out station bins, recycling, compost and landfill waste.
Report a bin that needs to be emptied
If you don't have access to FMIS, you can report Sort-It-Out stations or bins that need to be emptied.
Schedule
Our collection schedule for each building depends on how many people occupy it and how much waste is generated.
- Paper: 2–3 times/week
- Cardboard: 1–2 times/week
- Mixed containers: 1–2 times/week
- Compost: From 3 times a week to once every 2 weeks
- Landfill waste: 1–3 times/week
We clean the bins themselves:
- Sort-it-Out stations: As needed
- Paper: 3 times per year
- Mixed containers: Monthly
- Landfill waste: Once every 6 /weeks
Collection by request
Details
- For
- Departments, agencies and student groups
- Cost
- Varies based on materials and volume
- Team
- Waste Reduction
- Typical response time
- Waste collected within 48 hours of receipt (or as scheduled)
You may submit a work order for waste collection if:
- you're organizing an event or activity that will generate waste
- we supply zero-waste stations for large athletic events
- you need to recycle materials that don't go in the Sort-It-Out stations, such as:
- batteries
- electronics
- furniture and appliances
- soft plastics
- styrofoam
- toner cartridges
- wood
Request extra waste and recycling collection
To request recycling collection for an event or your office, create a new request using FMIS. In the form, choose:
- Location: the building, floor and room or space where you want the recycling picked up or the zero-waste station set up
- Type: Waste and Recycling
- Sub type: Appliance - Electronics - Furniture Recycling or Other
Totes and bins
Details
- For
- Departments
- Cost
- No charge
- Team
- Waste Reduction
- Typical response time
- Totes or bins delivered within 48 hours of receipt (or as scheduled)
If your department has an unusually large amount of recycling to dispose of, we can drop off totes or bins that you can sort and pack it into. You can keep them as long as you need and submit another request for collection when you're done.
Delivery of totes and bins is free, but disposal fees for materials that aren't accepted in Sort-It-Out bins will still apply when we collect them.
Request waste totes for your department
To request totes, create a new request using FMIS. In the form, choose:
- Location: the building, floor and room or space where you want the totes or bins delivered to
- Type: Waste and Recycling
- Sub type: Totes for Waste - Recycling - Composting
Totes & collection for events
Details
- For
- Departments, agencies and student groups
- Cost
- Varies by number of totes and amount of waste
- Team
- Waste Reduction
- Typical response time
- Delivery and removal as scheduled
We set up portable waste totes and sorting stations. These are especially important for medium to large catered events, which often generate more waste than permanent sort-it stations can hold.
Request totes for an event
To request waste totes and collection for your event, create a new request using FMIS. In the form, choose:
- Location: your event venue's building, floor and room or space
- Type: Special Events
- Sub type: Totes (Waste, Recycling, Composting)
To help us estimate how many totes you'll need, please let us know:
- how many people you expect to attend
- what food is being served
- if any other activities that generate waste are planned
Sutainability
- We conduct regular waste audits and STARS assessments to assess our programs and find opportunities to divert more waste.
- In our last waste audit in 2022, we recycled 343 metric tons of aluminum, cardboard, mixed paper, steel, scrap wood, glass and plastics.
- We collect furniture, electronics and clothing from students moving out of on-campus housing to donate or recycle.
- We extend the life of furniture and electronics by repairing, repurposing or selling them.
- We break large items like furniture into recyclable components before discarding them.