Green Buildings BC

Waste

7.0 Ecological Performance Resources: Waste

Photograph courtesy of Landfill Operations Branch, Engineering Services, City of Vancouver

Vancouver City's Park Board blended compost with sand (3:1 ratio) for the restoration of Hastings Park in East Vancouver. The use of compost improves plant growth.

We are far better at making waste than at making products. For every 100 pounds of products we manufacture in the United States, we create at least 3,200 pounds of waste.

--Paul Hawken, Natural Capitalism, 1997
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7.1 Solid Waste (W1)

High performance green buildings "close the loop" by processing "waste" products on site to regain resources. Sustainable design promotes the idea that there is no such thing as waste, only resources out of place.

--Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Guidelines for Creating High-Performance Buildings, 1999
Phone and Web Resource B.C. Recycling Hotline
Contact / Resource http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/mpp/pubs/bcrhsm.html
Call 732-9253 in Greater Vancouver or 1-800-667-4321 outside the Lower Mainland.
Description The B.C. Recycling Hotline maintains an up-to-date listing of province-wide:
  • Waste reduction opportunities
  • Stewardship programs
  • Recycling and disposal services

The B.C. Recycling Hotline is open Monday to Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Web Resource Recycling Council of British Columbia
Contact / Resource http://www.rcbc.bc.ca
#201-225 Smithe Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 4X7
Reception: 604.683.6009 Ext 301, Fax: 604.683.7255
Description This organization offers the following information and services available through the website and phonelines:
  • BC Recycling Hotline: 1-800-667-4321 from anywhere in BC or R-E-C-Y-C-L-E (732-9253) in Greater Vancouver, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
  • The BC Materials Exchange: One company's garbage is another's gold. The BC Materials Exchange (MEX) provides a way for the two to find each other.
  • The Household Hazardous Waste Toxics Toolkit: This guide gives alternatives to household chemicals.
  • The Members online: this gives a comprehensive guide to recycling programs and those involved throughout BC.
Web Resource Solid Waste Site
Greater Vancouver Regional District
Contact / Resource http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/recycling-and-garbage/index.htm
Description Much of this information will be relevant outside of the GVRD: General waste reduction and recycling information.
Web Resource Garbage and Recycling Site
City of Vancouver
Contact / Resource http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs/solidwaste/index.htm
Description General information on recycling.
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7.2 Composting Facilities (W2)

Middlebury College in Vermont saves $25,000 annually on disposal costs alone since it introduced an on-site composting program, and the New York Department of Correctional Services saved more than $1 million in 1995-96 as a result of the 31 compost sites it operates.

--Mark Roseland, Toward Sustainable Communities, 1998
Web Resource Composting Site
Greater Vancouver Regional District
Contact / Resource http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/recycling-and-garbage/composting.htm
Description Much of this information will be relevant outside of the GVRD:
  • Composting Demonstration Gardens
  • The Science of Composting
  • Making Compost: The Art of Backyard Composting
  • What to Compost
  • Backyard Composting
  • Mulching
  • Worm Composting
  • Using Compost
Web Resource Composting Programs
City of Vancouver
Contact / Resource http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs/solidwaste/grownatural/
Description Much of this information will be relevant outside of the City of Vancouver:
  • Compost bin distribution
  • Leaf composting
  • Yard waste composting
  • Compost demonstration garden and hotline
  • Worm bins
  • Christmas tree recycling
Book Landscape Planning: Environmental Applications
Marsh, W. M., (1991)
Contact / Resource John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
Description
  • A definitive reference for landscape architects, planners and designers on the definition and application of environmental design principles to landscape and site planning.
  • Information on composting in landscape.
Publication Landscape Ecology Principles: Landscape Architecture and Land-Use Planning
Dramstad, W. E., Olson, J.D., and Forman, R.T., (1996)
Contact / Resource Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge.
Description
  • Presents and explains the principles of landscape ecology.
  • Provides numerous examples of how those principles can be applied in specific situations.
  • Practical information on composting.
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7.3 Waste Case Studies

Middlebury College in Vermont saves $25,000 annually on disposal costs alone since it introduced an on-site composting program, and the New York Department of Correctional Services saved more than $1 million in 1995-96 as a result of the 31 compost sites it operates.

--Mark Roseland, Toward Sustainable Communities, 1998

7.3.1 Composting Facilities Case Studies
Web Resource Information on Compost Demonstration Gardens
Contact / Resource http://vegweb.com/composting/demo.shtml
Description Many municipalities have created compost demonstration gardens for education purposes. Signs explain the composting process, and some gardens offer workshops or tours:
  • Vancouver Compost Demonstration Garden
  • Crescent Beach Compost Demonstration Garden
  • West Vancouver Compost Demonstration Garden
  • North Vancouver (Park and Tilford Gardens)
  • Richmond Compost Demonstration Garden
  • Township of Langley Compost Demonstration Garden
  • GVRD Compost Research Centre
Web Resource UBC Compost Project
UBC Campus Sustainability Office, Land and Building Services
Contact / Resource http://www.sustain.ubc.ca
Description As described by the site, there are three initiatives around composting at UBC:
  • small scale worm composting workshops
  • the Large Scale Composting Project
  • "backyard" composting at Green College and St. John's College.
You can get more information about the first two initiatives (such as a workshop schedule) by visiting www.wastefree.ubc.ca and on the composting at residence by contacting the residential colleges at 822-1878 or 822-8781 respectively.
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