The Dish Project is passionately committed to increasing student and community involvement, making zero waste practices more accessible, and operating a service that anyone can use, regardless of their means.
In addition to lending out dishes, we are active throughout the school year in promoting waste justice. By talking about issues related to waste, we advocate for a shift in culture towards greater adoption of zero waste principles, fostering a community that is empowered to rethink consumer culture in solidarity with those most impacted. We accomplish this through a mix of informal engagement activities (such as the pictured waste sorting games), events thrown in collaboration with other waste-focused student groups (such as the Don’t Buy That! Holiday Skillshare event series with CUCCR), and the development of resources to help our community reach its zero waste goals (such as our Waste Justice 101 workshop or the 10-day long Zero Waste Challenge).
Behaviour Change and System Change
We coined the term “waste justice” to create space for a critical examination of the anthropocentric systems and institutions that perpetuate current waste management practices. Conventional and widely-used “solutions” such as landfills, incineration, and ocean dumping cause pollution, environmental degradation, health problems, and decreased biodiversity. These systems maintain consumer disconnect from the waste we create by removing it from our possession and shifting the responsibility of its disposal onto others. Marginalized and racialized communities are often disproportionately affected by harmful waste management practices, and are unable to benefit from ecological resources as a result. Such injustices challenge us to reflect on and consider the negative consequences our waste has once it leaves our hands.
Waste justice frames waste management as a political and ethical issue, addressing the differentiated responsibilities and disproportionate impacts of communities involved in the creation and disposal of waste. This framing allows us to be critical of our disconnect from waste and habits of consumption, as well as promote the health and wellness of all beings now and in the future.
Impoverished ragpickers work in brutal conditions to recover lost value from first-world trash imports.
As part of our advocacy work, The Dish Project develops and maintains a collection of free resources in order to question and eventually reverse perverse norms such as the one pictured above.
Sustainable Event Guide
This guidebook was developed by Sustainable Concordia to help you find the resources and services you need to make your event as sustainable as possible.
Towards Zero Waste
This website was developed by one of our volunteers to provide insight into the zero waste movement and the many ways individuals and communities can be part of the solution.