Each Year, the GECDSB completes 10 waste audits with an external auditing firm to comply with Ontario Regulation 102/94 Waste Audits and Waste Reduction Work Plans (O.Reg 102/94). The completion of these audits helps us to understand how effectively we are running our recycling program and gives insight to the waste generated in different areas of our buildings.
To complete the waste audits, all garbage and recycling is collected from the entire building over a period of 24 hours. It is bagged and labelled based on the functional area it came from and the bin it was collected from (Ex. Hallway blue bin, classroom red bin). On the morning of the audit, the auditors work bag by bag weighing and sorting the contents.
Second to the waste audit is the process of completing a waste reduction work plan. This is a plan to reduce, reuse and recycle waste outlining who will take action and what the desired outcomes are. Prior to 2024 this plan is included in the appendices of the audit. Beginning in 2024 these were submitted as a separate document.
Though each school is unique, we extrapolate the data from our ten reports and through proportional representation we determine how the rest of our schools sites are performing.