Table of ContentsIntroductionBackgroundMethodsResultsDiscussionConclusionIntroductionA growing human population leads to an increasing amount of waste produced. Humans produce more waste than any other species on this planet and as such we must adopt a system to dispose of this waste. Waste disposal is part of everyone's daily life, even if we don't even realize it. It is for this reason that this project was launched with the aim of making people aware of waste disposal habits. In other words, this project forced participants to make conscious decisions about how and where they were going to dispose of waste and to develop a deeper understanding of their waste disposal habits. Humans are not alone on this planet. The space we occupy is not only ours, but it is also home to other animals and plants. The risks that poor waste management and waste in general pose to this planet affect all its inhabitants. Risks include water pollution (as seen in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), air pollution, and soil contamination. This project, in which ENV 1501 students participated, was carried out with the support of the Campus Sustainable Development Office. The Office of Campus Sustainability strives to promote environmental sustainability across campus, striving to integrate sustainability into the daily lives of University of Ottawa staff and students through of the school's operations, research and teaching. This report is a comprehensive guide to the project and an analysis of its results. It contains the results of the project, including an overview of the methods used and actions taken. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayBackgroundWaste is any substance that is disposed of or discarded because it is no longer useful or needed after the completion of a process. As a society focused on and relying heavily on consumerism, we produce large amounts of waste every day. An important thing to keep in mind when discussing proper waste disposal is that it doesn't just affect the person disposing of it. How we dispose of our waste impacts everyone and everything around us: other people, animals and our environment itself. It is a well-known fact that waste has a detrimental impact on all of these things, and it is for this reason that it is essential that we pay attention to our waste and where it goes. By limiting the amount of waste we produce and ensuring we know how and where it is disposed of, we can begin to develop a greater awareness of the amount of waste circulating in this world, where it ends up and how it is stored . affects the world around us. As stated, problems related to waste and its disposal affect everything and everyone around us. The effects of waste come not only from its disposal, but also from its production. In the consumerist society we live in today, more and more disposable products are being produced to support this consumerist economy that we so heavily depend on. For example, every item of clothing we wear must be manufactured, shipped, transported and sold – all of which takes a toll on the environment, from greenhouse gases emitted during transport to the destruction of animal habitats to buildclothes. a factory to make clothes. What makes waste so dangerous is actually its cyclical nature; Each waste is associated with a whole chain of other elements linked to its production – they all have a harmful impact on the environment. This means that the rate at which our society produces waste is completely unsustainable and action must be taken to solve the problem. The University of Ottawa Office of Campus Sustainability has taken steps to combat the problems and threats that increasing waste poses to our environment and specifically our community. Thanks to numerous initiatives launched by the Office, ranging from The Free Store (which aims to recycle items that would otherwise be thrown away) to this project focused on waste management and reduction. These initiatives were taken to ensure that the University of Ottawa acts as a model community to follow, leading to a society that places high value on sustainable living and waste reduction. Methods This project was carried out on a period of seven consecutive days. , during which participants were asked to keep a diary of all the waste they produced throughout the week. This data was recorded in an Excel sheet, displaying which item was thrown away, as well as when and where it was disposed of. Participants also noted how the item was discarded and why it could not be recycled or composted. The results of this project will help the Office of Campus Sustainability better understand waste habits on the University campus. This in turn will enable more efficient and targeted waste management. As with any data collection method requiring personal entry, there is some margin for error in this project, as the method offers the possibility of forgetting to enter all the waste. Despite this possible margin of error, the data will provide a general display of participants' typical waste generation. Results Looking at the data recorded in the Excel chart, two major trends become evident. The first of these is the origin of the waste. In this case, the majority of waste produced during the week comes from various food products. Some examples are empty soda cans, candy wrappers, and plastic bags used to transport groceries. This indicates that the food industry has not yet converted to a waste-free or more sustainable system, and that sufficient measures have not been taken to combat the amount of waste coming from food products. For example, using a reusable bag for shopping would eliminate waste caused by plastic bags. Additionally, making sure to use a reusable water bottle more frequently would eliminate the need for disposable plastic water bottles. Another interesting trend is where most of the waste has been disposed of. In this case, most of the waste generated during the week came from the house. In the table, the reasoning given for most of the discarded items was that there were no accessible recycling or composting bins. The solution to this problem is therefore quite clear: have a recycling bin and a compost bin accessible from home. The table also indicates that there were very few cases where the signs were not clear. This suggests that waste disposal stations around campus are well marked and that very little potentially recyclable waste is thrown in the trash due to the confusion. DiscussionOne of the objectives of this project was to become more aware of our waste and our disposal habits...