Five new waste stations to reduce the total amount of solid waste we are producing and sending to landfill are available throughout the facility. We also have new larger recycle and compost bins for pick up by the City of Toronto.

Through its Waste Diversion program the City of Toronto waives its pick up fee for charities, which is saving Variety between $16,000 – $20,000 annually as well as allowing us to be environmentally responsible.

Many volunteers and members have worked on cleaning up and creating new gardening spaces allowing for additional gardening efforts. This includes a lot of new space for the LINKS Day Program’s vegetable garden. Local food production, especially in urban food production is creating opportunities for better nutrition and learning for our LINKS and MILESTONE Day Program participants.

This is a valuable resource where all compostable waste from the day programs is composted into a usable product on site. It is an educational opportunity for the Day Program participants to understand the importance of reducing municipal solid waste and the meaning of waste diversion. It also aligns with their gardening program. All food waste is now converted into a nutrient rich usable gardening product. This teaches the whole life-cycle of our food system.

Variety has reduced its energy consumption dramatically and all of the old lamps were recycled following proper guidelines. Converting the exterior and interior lighting of the facility to LED and induction lighting will reduce Variety’s annual energy consumption by 259,018 KWh and save annual energy costs by approximately $43,156. The environmental benefit has equivalent carbon reduction to planting 8,431 trees. In addition to a reduction in its energy bills, Variety Village received a rebate of $17,697.40 (incl. HST) from Toronto Hydro as part of their Save on Energy – RETROFIT incentive program.