Did you know that waste contributes to climate change? The decomposition of organics, packaging and other garbage in landfills produces a significant amount of methane, which is a greenhouse gas 28 times for potent than carbon dioxide. Additionally, non-organic material and the production of resources is a significant source of emissions which end up as waste.
The Sustainability Office invites you to participate in Waste Week 2021: Rethinking Waste! From October 18-24, we encourage you to take the zero waste mason jar challenge to get a better understanding of how much waste you generate in one week - you might be surprised! We'll also be sharing other exciting activities and resources on our social media throughout October, on topics such as:
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- Waste sorting guidelines (on campus and in Waterloo Region)
- Specialty recycling programs and donation guidelines during COVID-19
- Repairing and upcycling clothing and textile waste
- And much more!
To learn more about Waterloo's commitment to becoming a zero waste campus by 2035, check out our Shift Zero Action Plan.
Read more about the challenge and supporting activities below:
Zero Waste Challenge | Activities
Zero Waste 3+ Day Mason Jar Challenge
Are you ready for the mason jar challenge? The rules are simple:
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- Collect your waste destined for landfill in a mason jar (or similar-sized container) for one week
- Recycling and composting do not count toward your jar
- Complete the follow-up survey (which will be sent to your email if you registered) by Monday, October 25, 2021.
- BONUS: Share your progress on social media using #WasteWeekUW and #JoinTheShiftUW to help inspire others
By completing the steps above, you will be entered in a random prize draw to win one of these amazing prizes (see terms and conditions):
- $100 gift card to Zero Waste Bulk
- 1 of 2 $50 gift cards to Zero Waste Bulk
- 1 of 10 $10 WatCard top-ups
Note: There is no 'winning' or 'losing' the challenge at the end of the week. The goal of the challenge is to bring awareness to how much and what kind of waste we produce in a week and to reflect on opportunities for more sustainable swaps. We encourage you to try to keep your jar as empty as possible for the week, though we acknowledge that COVID-19 presents unique challenges to waste reduction.
Activities
We want to make sure you're equipped with all the tools you need for the zero waste challenge! Here are a number of activities we'll be offering leading up the Zero Waste Week to help you out:
Activity | Details | Date/Location |
WASTE SORTING QUIZ |
Are you a Waste Warrior or a Recycling Rookie? Test your knowledge about sorting waste through a short quiz!
To enter to win,complete this survey using your WATIam@uwaterloo.ca and click this link (please note the link will become live on Monday October 18 2021. |
Open online between Mon, Oct 18 at 9:00am and Fri, Oct 22 at 11:59pm |
WUSA Social Media Take Over! |
WUSA Sustainability commissioner, Jenna Phillips, will take over the Sustainability Office’s Instagram to share tips on how to be waste conscious in your everyday life. Through posts, infographics, videos and more, WUSA representatives will share their most influential facts on how to reduce waste, repurpose materials and reuse discarded items throughout the day. Stay tuned! |
October 20 2021 |
WASTE WISE LIFESTYLE & COOKING |
Looking to be more waste conscious throughout your day? We challenge you to either have a waste conscious meal day (i.e., vegan/vegetarian meals, no food waste meals, use organic products) or buy nothing for a day. To enter to win a prize, tag the Sustainability Office in a social media post or email us at sustainability@uwaterloo.ca depicting your zero-waste meal day or how you avoided buying items for a day! All participants will be entered to win some awesome prizes, including gift cards to Zero Waste Bulk and Swag.
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Open online between Mon, Oct 18 at 9:00am and Fri, Oct 22 at 11:59pm |
WASTE WISE COOKING SOCIAL MEDIA TAKE OVER |
Looking to reduce waste when you are cooking? UW student, Sofia Slater, will share what she does with vegetable scraps through the Sustainability Office’s Instagram through a video! |
October 21 2021 |
CONTINUE YOUR WASTE ENGAGEMENT |
Thank you to all participants who took part in Waste Week 2021! We hope that you took the opportunity to meaningfully rethink your waste consumption. To stay engaged and learn more about ways to reduce your waste, we encourage all Waste Warriors to listen to the Sustainability Office’s Podcast on Zero Waste and participate in upcoming workshops! Registrants of the 3-Day Mason Jar Challenge will also receive the follow-up survey to be filled out in order to win a prize. |
October 22 2021 |
FAQs
We've compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you prepare for Waste Week 2021. If your question wasn't answered here, please reach out to the Sustainability Office.