Robins Environmental has worked on projects that showcase best practices to promote waste reduction in the multi-residential sector, the commercial & institutional sector and the construction & demolition sector.

Other leading edge topics including writing waste diversion strategies and best practices to encourage food waste reduction and to promote reuse, refurbishing and sharing.

Projects include:

Multi Residential Waste Reduction Workshop. City of Toronto
Retained to help develop and facilitate two half-day workshops for the Solid Waste Department of the City of Toronto. The workshops provided help to superintendents, building owners and property managers of multi-residential buildings to learn how to improve waste diversion in their buildings. The workshops combined lectures with individual and group exercises and discussions.

Maximizing Residential Waste Diversion in Connection with the Mayor’s Tower Renewal Pilot Feasibility Study, City of Toronto
Completed a project with Genivar to evaluate waste diversion technologies and approaches to achieve significant diversion in eleven pilot buildings. Responsible for conducting site visits at six of the buildings including interviewing superintendents and property managers and developing and conducting person-to-person surveys with and tenants at three buildings. Identified innovative waste diversion technologies and approaches throughout North America, Europe and Asia and helped evaluate the options and develop waste diversion systems for each of the buildings. Requested and delivered a presentation to all tenants of a TCHC building about the benefits of recycling and waste diversion and address challenges in their buildings.

Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Best Practices, York Region
Member of a team hired to develop a Solid Waste Management Strategy plan for York Region to provide a planning framework and strategic direction for the next twenty years. As part of the project, developed a series individual best practices papers on best practices and recommended strategies including one for the multi-residential sector. Focussed on innovative and practical policies, programs and technologies that had been tested and/or implemented in other North American jurisdictions.

Waste Management and Diversion Strategies, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC)
Prepared a series of manuals and reports to help staff at TCHC deal with problems associated with illegal dumping and improper disposal of electronics and HHW. The work involves surveying other communities across North America to identify best practices and working with superintendents and property managers to develop workable solutions and strategies.

 Increasing Waste Diversion for Multiple Family Buildings, Metro Vancouver
Prepared a project to help Metro Vancouver identify innovative and practical policies, programs and technologies to increase waste diversion in multi-family buildings throughout the Region. Responsibilities include researching and writing a best practices paper about innovative programs and policies to increase waste diversion in MF buildings in communities throughout North America and Europe and providing input and feedback to a number of focus groups being undertaken with waste haulers, property managers and City staff.

 Multi-Residential Diversion Strategy, City of Hamilton
Managed the best practices section of the study investigating innovative programs and policies throughout North America and internationally to manage and divert solid waste in multi-family buildings. The work involved conducting comprehensive research to identify programs, policies and technologies employed by communities across North America and Europe to promote waste diversion in multi-family buildings and contacting staff in these communities to gain further insight into the initiatives, including the successes, challenges and lessons learned.

Regent Park Redevelopment Project Sustainable Community Design
Managed the solid waste management component of a comprehensive project to design a sustainable community for Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) in downtown Toronto. The solid waste management study evaluated a variety of systems to maximize waste from townhouses, mid rise and high rise buildings, as well as small and large commercial establishments. Emphasis was placed on evaluating systems that enabled residents to divert organic and recyclable waste in a cost effective and convenient manner.

University of Alberta Organics Waste Diversion Strategy, University of Alberta and Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence, 2014
Member of a team retained to develop an organic waste diversion strategy for the University of Alberta,  Managed the development of site visit itinerary, site evaluation forms and conducted interviews with staff, students, residents, completed food vendor site analysis and interviews, performed visual waste audits, monitoring bin use and traffic activities. Managed the preparation of the evaluation report.

Project Coordinator for the Off-the-Road Tire Stewardship Program Review, Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO), 2014
Completed a four month contract with WDO to coordinate the Off-the-Road (OTR) tire program review in response to a request by the Ontario Minister of the Environment. Responsibilities included managing the day-to-day activities of the review process, helping to establish a multi-stakeholder advisory group and coordinating meetings, communications, and interviews of the members. Also involved in managing stakeholder consultations and developing draft documents, minutes and communications including writing the OTR Tires Draft Working Paper used to guide the review process by presenting the concerns and potential actions identified by members of the Advisory Group and other individual stakeholders.

Waste Composition Study, City of Calgary, 2010
Part of a team (CH2M Hill and Kelleher Environmental) developing waste composition and generation rates for the residential, ICI and C&D sectors. Responsible for overseeing the ICI component of the study which involves describing the existing ICI waste management system, characterizing the ICI sector, updating the waste allocation model and establishing waste generation rates for key ICI NAICS codes and identify viable waste diversion policies and programs for the City to consider implementing.

Characterization and Management of Construction and Demolition (CRD) Waste in Canada Foundation Document, Environment Canada
Member of a Project Team retained to gather current available information concerning the characterization and management of CRD waste in Canada. This work supports efforts by Environment Canada and other interested stakeholders to improve knowledge of Substances of Interest in CRD waste relating to the Chemical Management Plan. The work examines current CRD management approaches and best practices in Canada, CRD waste recycling and disposal infrastructure in Canada and existing markets for recovered CRD waste materials. The work should help identify opportunities to enhance resource recovery and environmentally sound management of CRD waste in Canada.

Waste Composition Study, City of Calgary
Part of a team (CH2M Hill and Kelleher Environmental) developing waste composition and generation rates for the residential, ICI and C&D sectors. Responsible for overseeing the ICI component of the study which involves describing the existing ICI waste management system, characterizing the ICI sector, updating the waste allocation model and establishing waste generation rates for key ICI NAICS codes and identify viable waste diversion policies and programs for the City to consider implementing.

Others:
– City of Ottawa ICI Waste Diversion Strategy,
– ICI Waste Diversion Best Practices, Ontario Waste Management Association
– C&D Waste Recycling and Diversion, Best Practices Paper, City of Calgary