TEA is thrilled to have been part of the Mayor's Towering Challenge and to have been a member of the judging panel. In the end, 11 buildings won awards for their efforts in reducing waste in their buildings!

The Towering Challenge was launched last year by the Mayor after he visited Mayfair on the Green, a condo in Scarborough leading on waste diversion, and talked with TEA about how to get other buildings to show what they can do to reduce waste.

More than 140 buildings signed up for the challenge, including condos, apartments, and co-ops from all over the city.  

There were 11 winners in 5 categories. Here are some of the actions the buildings took to cut down on garbage and prioritize reducing, reusing, recycling and repairing:

• hosting on-site 'repair cafes' to help residents fix things
• converting the garbage chute to an organics-only chute
• contests and events to engage residents in waste reduction and diversion
• creating waste tracking and log sheets to identify problem materials and target education
• engaging residents through door-to-door education to ensure residents’ questions are answered
• making recycling and organics bins easier to access

TEA is also proud to have supported the winning building in the “Most Innovative” category - Millgate Manor - as they were directly inspired by Mayfair on the Green and converted their garbage chute to an organics-only chute!

Over the coming months, TEA will reach out to the winners and other participants to profile some of the great stories. These buildings are leaders, and not only are they doing their part to reduce costs and reduce waste, they're also proving that residents who live in apartments and condos can and want to reduce waste!

More info:

• Read the City's Media Backgrounder listing the Towering Challenge winners
• See the City's Towering Challenge webpage - including building profiles used to inspire the competitors!