Consumption & Waste

Total amount of waste generated per student

When we talk about waste, it’s often in numbers so large it’s hard to imagine how we, as an individual, can make a difference. However, if we instead consider how much waste we produce per person, things start to look more manageable. At SFU, that number is 49 kg*: For every SFU student, the SFU community produces 49 kg (108lb) of waste.

*This number is based on the student full-time equivalency for the 2014/15 year, which is provided by SFU’s Institutional Research and Planning. This data is operational waste only and does not include construction or demolition waste.

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Diversion of waste from the landfill

As part of the SFU Sustainability Strategic Plan (2013-2016), the University set a goal to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by diverting 70 percent of its waste into composting or recycling. We are pleased to say that we achieved that goal and diverted 75 percent of total waste from landfill in 2014/15. However there is still a need for continued efforts.

When it comes to operational waste (total waste minus demolition and construction waste). We achieved a 41.6 percent diversion rate. There is plenty of room for more of SFU’s day-to-day waste to be diverted to the correct recycling, reuse or composting streams. We are well on the way to exceeding 50 percent diversion of operational waste for the 2015/16 year, but it will rely on the efforts of the entire SFU community.

Where our waste goes

In 2014/15, we diverted 41.6 percent of our operational waste from the landfill. Operational waste includes garbage, fibre, cardboard, wood, mixed glass, plastic and tin, organics, metal, drywall, e-waste and other one-off disposal items, such as lightbulbs and batteries.

consumption and waste

Water Consumption

SFU has taken a number of steps to reduce its water consumption, from installing aerators on sink faucets to using low-water-demand plants in landscaping. The result has been a reduction in water consumption for the past five years. However, the drought experienced by British Columbia’s Lower Mainland in the summer of 2015 drew attention to the need for even greater management of our valuable water resources.

Note: This data only covers the Burnaby campus due to the data limitations of leasing space for the Vancouver and Surrey campuses.

537,755 m3Total water used in 2014/15

21%Decrease in water consumption from 2009/10

Circular Economy

Our current economy is built on a system of take, make, dispose. Raw materials are seen as an inexhaustible source of disposable and frequently low value products, and the potential reuse of these materials is not part of the design process.

In a circular economy, materials are highly valued and products are designed in a way that uses them wisely, ensures they are recoverable for future use, and that manufacture, use and reuse have positive rather than negative ecological and social impacts.

“A circular economy is one that is restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles.”
— Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Total amount of waste generated per student

Diversion of waste from the landfill

Where our waste goes

Water Consumption

Circular Economy

Energy & Emissions

Mobility & Travel

Consumption & Waste

Learning & Discovery

Society & Equity

Risk & Resilience