A Toronto condominium that only throws out one bin of garbage a month may be the city's most environmentally friendly building.
The 282-unit apartment is located at 430 McLevin Ave., in Toronto's Malvern neighbourhood.
Despite the building's size, the amount of landfill-bound waste is kept to a minimum. In addition to only one bin of garbage a month, the president of the Metro Toronto Condominium Corporation 996 says the building also encourages its residents to recycle as much as possible.
Each week, 10 recycling bins are collected at the building, resulting in an 85-per-cent diversion rate, MTCC 996 president Dave Mugford told CTV Toronto. Residents are also encouraged to separate their organic waste and put it in the building's compost bin that is emptied once a week.
The property manager of the building, Edward Lynn, says that this initiative is not just about being green -- it saves money as well.
Waste disposal bills for a building this size should cost approximately $1800 per month, according to Lynn. But with the collaborative recycling program, it costs only $180 per month for the entire building.
Mugford says the building, which was built in 1990, has also completely switched to LED lighting, helping to save approximately 10,000 Kw/h each month. The building also has a number of conservation plans, including a water-saving and heating-efficiency program.
