Waste analysis of the Surplus Store at University of Waterloo

University institutions consume enormous amounts of resources annually. Since they purchase such large volumes of equipment and supplies every year, they would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the environment. All departments have on campus numerous items that are not in use or at least not to their fullest potential which would promote a wasteful and inefficient system. As a result, a need exists to ensure that this equipment purchased by the university is used to its fullest potential in order to minimize the amount of waste generated. A mechanism must be in place to direct and re-distribute the items to places where it can be used again. Therefore, the surplus Store was created to prolong the life of an item and maximize its use through effective redistribution within the university community before offering it for sale to the public. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Surplus Store as a waste diversion mechanism and to determine the benefits that may result from it. Part of this study would be to determine the approximate amount of waste being diverted from the landfill and all the associated benefits from doing so. The main focus of this study is to explore all the possible benefits of a re-use center in terms of the social, economical, and environmental aspects… For full text, please e-mail sustainability@uwaterloo.ca