Circular Economy Month 2023
The way we create, use and discard materials has a profound effect on our ability to manage finite resources, support equitable access to needed goods and protect the long-term vitality of the world we live in. This October, Circular Economy Month provides an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about the value and benefits of circular economies and innovations.
As the negative impacts of waste have reached a critical tipping point, a cultural shift towards a circular model of consumption and resource recovery — that focuses on long-term value and durability, reuse, repair and better recycling — is part of an essential and urgent course correction to preserve our planet’s natural balance.
Supporting the Future of Work with circularity
As departments make the transition to a hybrid work model — optimizing their spaces and streamlining their resource allocation — TMU’s Furniture Rehome program can facilitate the redistribution of university-financed equipment and furniture on campus for continued use.
To promote reuse and redistribution and give usable materials a second life, departments are invited to bring their unneeded TMU-owned furniture, equipment and electronics for redistribution within the institution.
How you can participate
This month, TMU students, faculty and staff are asked to be conscious of the choices they make and to consider mindful consumption and the responsible use and disposal of assets and resources. By developing strategies to reduce waste and support a circular economy, we can foster good long-term routines.
Electronics and e-waste collection drive
Join us in the sustainable management of TMU-owned computer equipment. Departments can bring unneeded, non–data-storing electronics for redistribution and e-waste for proper disposal on October 18 and 24 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at VIC-403. Important: At this time, we are only collecting TMU-owned electronics — not personal technology.
Donate to the Free Store
Waste is scary! In preparation for our Halloween pop-up, we are inviting faculty and staff to donate their unwanted fit-for-use items during the electronics drive on October 18 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at VIC-403 to support our student community.
Take TMU’s STARS Sustainability Cultural Survey
Help us assess our sustainability awareness and identify even more ways to embed sustainability into TMU’s engagement, planning and development efforts with our STARS (external link) performance goals.
Learn more about the transition to a circular economy
In addition to good environmental stewardship, circular economies offer social benefits. They can make day-to-day living more affordable with products conceived for durability and ease of repair, extending product usability and reducing the cost burden of early replacement. Circularity reduces emissions associated with the extraction, refinement and transportation of raw materials and supports local production and industries that create opportunities for training, education and employment.
By creating systems for responsible use, reuse, repurposing and recycling of our institutional resources, TMU is positioned to lead by example as contributors to a more sustainable, circular model of production, use and replenishment.
To find out more about how your everyday choices at work and at home can help to support a circular economy and mitigate environmental threats, visit the Circular Economy Month (external link) website from Canada’s Circular Innovation Council.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please contact Sharmilla Raj, sustainability manager, at sustainability@torontomu.ca.