Documentary highlights how to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste in Guelph.
Kalev Jaason’s documentary, DIVERTED: A story about modern day treasure hunting and second chances, provides an inside view into what happens after move out day at Chancellors Way, an off-campus student residence in Guelph. These accommodations have been in the news more recently for a rowdy homecoming party, but the trash produced by students moving out for the summer is perhaps of greater concern. Couches, tables, chairs, pots, pans, plates, pillows, blankets, electronics, and clothes of all sorts are left strewn around dumpsters as students rush at the last minute to clean out their rooms. Without people scavenging through this rubbish, most of it would inevitably end up in the landfill.
DIVERTED follows Jaason as he sifts through the garbage and sorts out anything that can be reused. After organizing 20 carloads of stuff weighing over 3,400 pounds in total, he is left with only one small bag of real garbage. The rest of what was tossed in the trash is perfectly fine to be repurposed, salvaged for scrap, or sold.
Over email correspondence with The Ontarion, Jaason expressed his shock at the quality of some items being thrown out: “There were a lot of clothes that were brand new and still had the tags on. Other items were in really nice condition or were barely used in some cases. Some real treasures. A lot of people look at it as garbage, but the way I see it, most of those items were part of someone’s kitchen, living room, dining room, or bedroom a few hours before they were thrown out. It really was like modern day treasure hunting in a way.” The issue of large amounts of trash building up during move out day at Chancellors Way is nothing new — it has been happening for at least a decade.When asked about his inspiration for creating the film, Jaason said: “I happened to go by that complex during their end of year move out about nine years ago. When I saw it again this year and realized that not much had changed, I thought it would make for an interesting story and hopefully help to create change in how it is organized. I also didn’t think a lot of people would believe it unless they actually saw it.”
And let me tell you, it is quite the sight to behold.
While the film takes a local view of the issue of wastefulness, this problem occurs across Canada. Surprisingly, Canada is the number one producer of garbage per person in the world, according to Canadian Geographic and the Conference Board of Canada. Every year, between 720 and 777 kilograms of trash is produced per Canadian, which is even more than the notoriously wasteful U.S. at 730 kilograms per person.Why don’t we hear more about this problem? Most people prefer to turn a blind eye and simply forget about their trash once it enters the bin. But in reality, all that garbage ends up somewhere in the world. Picture this: what if every piece of trash you threw away had to be stored in your room? Imagine how much more thoughtful people would be about their waste.
“The interesting thing about most garbage is that if it is all mixed together in a bin, it is considered garbage and you have to pay to get rid of it, but if you take those same items and actually separate them, they become a commodity and you can actually get paid for them… Being able to turn garbage into a resource or a commodity is a pretty interesting concept and a different way of looking at waste,” Jaason wrote.
One of the best ways to reduce waste is at the point of purchase. Ask yourself: do I really need this? Could I get this second-hand instead? Then, once you’re finished with the item, instead of throwing it in the trash, try to give it away online first or donate it to a charity like Goodwill.
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Jaason’s documentary also provides an overview of organizations and initiatives in Guelph that are working to reduce waste and to enhance the community. Many initiatives have been created on the University of Guelph campus to address these issues, but so far off-campus initiatives have been less organized. It’s understandable that students may not bother to sort their things — they’ve just finished exams, they might not have a car, they have to get home quickly to start their summer jobs.
The easiest thing does seem to be to just drop everything and leave. Jaason understands this rationale, but he still urges students to take some time to properly dispose of their trash: “I know that students have a lot on their minds, and a lot of pressure — especially at the end of the school year, but it really is worth the time and effort to actually recycle or donate items instead of just discarding them. It benefits a lot of people in the community economically and does have an environmental impact.”
Jaason hopes to improve off-campus move out by sorting through students’ stuff when they move out so it can be kept in good condition and diverted from the landfill. “The plan is to help organize something for this year with the help of the property manager [at Chancellors Way], the Sustainability Office, Move Out Madness, Transition Guelph, volunteers, and a lot of the organizations that were in the film to help divert as much as possible this year and find places for the items to be reused or recycled,” he explained.
Separate piles for furniture, cookware, bedding, empties, paper, and electronics will be organized by volunteers and then trucked off to charity or to the recycling centre. A little bit of forward thinking and careful planning can help save tons of resources from ending up in the dump.
Photo courtesy of DIVIDED