The Facilities department is responsible for advancing campus sustainability initiatives, identifying and implementing new opportunities for sustainability and engaging and creating awareness about environmental issues within the campus community. Guided by provincial legislature and university policy, Facilities oversees the university’s central waste management strategies, including campus waste diversion and reduction programs as well as the management of the waste removal contractor.
The success of the university's diversion initiatives relies on the cooperation and participation of students, faculty and staff. For a more in-depth look at the how different waste types are dealt with on campus, please see the University's Disposal Guidelines, or use the Waste Wizard tool below (available on the web or the app). Otherwise, select any additional services that you may need from below.
Waste Wizard
Find out what goes where, and recycle well at Queen's.
Composting has many environmental benefits including conserving landfill space, improving soil quality and keeps organic material out of landfill. When food waste sits in a landfill and is not properly turned and processed (like compost is) it releases methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2.
Office Organics Program
Campus departments are invited to join the organics program which focuses on capturing food waste generated by staff who bring their lunches to work. To adequately control the content and quality of the organic collection, an organics collection container is provided for kitchen or lounge spaces. This container will be emptied into an exterior collector that is picked up weekly and transported to a composting facility. Check the Waste Wizard to verify what goes in organics.
Join the Office Organics Program
Dining Room & Retail Food Outlets
The dining rooms and retail food outlets participate in an organics program. The organic material that comes from the dining rooms and retail food outlets is collected in exterior toters and the material is transported by the campus waste hauler to Tomlinson Organics in Joyceville. Tomlinson’s converts the organic material into compost that is used by commercial landscapers and home gardeners to enhance their soil.
Compostable items include: meat, dairy products, produce, coffee grounds, kitchen paper towels, napkins, uncoated paper take-out containers, cups and plates, and pizza boxes.