Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing Electronic Waste Disposal Sites on Dalhousie’s Studley and Sexton Campuses

Abstract

The objective of our research is to investigate the accessibility of electronic waste (e-waste) disposal methods on Dalhousie campuses, with the overarching question: How can we increase electronic waste disposal accessibility for Dalhousie University students on the Studley and Sexton campuses? E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, and its increasing volume poses significant risks to both the environment and human health (Sahajwalla, 2018). The current e-waste management system at Dalhousie’s Studley and Sexton campuses only provides resources for faculty and not students, highlighting significant areas for improvement within the system. We hypothesized that due to the lack of disposal sites on campus, Dalhousie students are not disposing of their e-waste properly; therefore there is a demand for a public e-waste disposal space at the university. The research employed a range of methods including interviews, surveys, literature reviews, and program reviews at Dalhousie University. The study found that a large proportion of students are not disposing of their e-waste correctly. For instance, 78.4% of undergraduate students keep their e-waste at home, 23.5% of students throw their electronics in the garbage, 41.1% trade them in, 44.1% sell them, and only 17.6% use an e-waste disposal facility. Additionally, 93% of Sexton students reported that they would use a disposal site on the Sexton campus, and 83.3% of Studley students would use a disposal site on Studley Campus, highlighting the need for accessible e-waste disposal sites for students. To address this issue, the report suggests several options to increase accessibility. Such as holding a one-day e-waste disposal event at the Studley campus, or expanding the Sexton Makerspace as a drop-off location during open hours. These options were discussed with the Dalhousie Makerspace and Sustainability office. The report concludes that there are viable options to increase e-waste accessibility for students on Dalhousie’s Sexton and Studley campus, going forward we hope that Dalhousie acknowledges our recommendations for increasing e-waste disposal accessibility.