Read: Zero waste approach gives new life to old mattresses
Posted on Friday, November 21st, 2014
When Algonquin College launched plans to replace more than a thousand beds at its student residence, a Waste Management employee in Ottawa helped turn the effort into a zero waste success.
The project took place while students were away for the summer break but the residence was still in use as a seasonal hotel, posing logistical challenges. Led by Sherry Stevenson, area manager, public affairs, Waste Management provided daily project management to ensure the college met its tight timelines and its zero waste goal, completing the project only a week after its July 14 start.
“This was a very big undertaking and we could not have done it without the help of Waste Management,” said Bryan Boudreau, Algonquin College facilities supervisor. “Sherry was proactive and thought of things that we would not have. Her professionalism and dedication to the college were outstanding.”
To achieve zero waste status, Stevenson and the college took a two-pronged approach to salvaging the 1,050 used mattresses, 1,050 box springs and associated metal frames.
First, they partnered with GRRO International, an organization that finds charities to accept donations of used furniture and hospital supplies. GRRO International shipped most of the college’s beds to the Dominican Republic for distribution to families living in poverty, many of whom previously slept on the floor.
“Our search for sustainable solutions for the college ended up boosting the quality of life for individuals in great need,” said Stevenson. “That’s the kind of win-win that becomes possible when we make a commitment to look beyond the landfill.”
Next, Stevenson arranged to recycle any remaining items unsuitable for re-use. Unusable metal frames went to a scrap metal facility and 518 mattresses and box springs in poor condition went to a mattress recycling facility in Laval, Quebec. Crews also placed plastic bags from the college’s new replacement mattresses into a designated compactor and sent them to Ottawa recycler Cascades Recovery Inc. This action diverted 570 kg (approximately 1,257 pounds) of plastic bagging from the landfill.
“Diversion is very important to Algonquin College,” said Boudreau. “Without the recommendations from Waste Management, all these mattresses would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.”
PHOTO (l-r) Mike Pershaw, Andreas Alvarez, Bryan Boudreau, all from Algonguin College, WM’s Sherry Stevenson, and the college’s Doug Batten and Charles McMillan.
This story originally appeared in Waste Management’s employee newsletter.
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