Case Study
University of Alberta

Overview
campus zero waste initiatives
One of Max-R’s oldest customers, The University of Alberta and Max-R worked together to design a waste and recycle solution to support their campus zero waste initiatives.
Discovery
- Pilot Zero Waste Program
- Need to customize waste & recycle stations to fit existing rolling carts
- Customize waste streams to meet goals
The University of Alberta had some lofty zero waste goals they were looking to achieve and needed their waste and recycling bins to support their goals and launch their zero waste initiatives.
Concept
The University of Alberta was drawn to working with Max-R because of their ability to customize the bin. It was important to them that the color be throughout the entire waste stream, not just on a door or graphic. They needed a coordinated solution that housed rolling carts for large volume collection in residential dining and smaller capacity supporting bins.
Visualization
After the sustainability team at the University of Alberta signed off on initial concepts, Max-R’s 3D rendering team provided several iterations of bin designs to deliver exactly what the University was looking for in order to drive the success of their zero waste program.
The Results
In the first 90 days of installation, the University of Alberta’s new waste diversion stations saw:
- 1,388 lbs (630 kg) more organics diverted from their residential dining hall compared to the same time frame in 2013
- 40,388 lbs (18,320 kg) more organics diverted from the Students’ Union building
- 6,128 lbs (2,780 kg) fewer landfill-bound materials from the Students’ Union building.
The ability to customize recycling bins to fit our program and waste streams was critical in helping the University of Alberta to increase our waste diversion. The customization Max-R offers, coupled with their outstanding service, elevates them above and beyond any other company in the industry.
Jessie Kwasny
Waste Diversion/Recycling Coordinator, University of Alberta
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