Have you noticed the removal of some paper towel dispensers?
Facilities Services and Mohawk Sustainability have been working together to improve sustainability in our operations. Through this collaboration we identified the removal of paper towel dispensers as an opportunity to lower carbon emissions and send less paper towel to landfill.
Facilities services has now begun removing paper towels dispensers at the Fennell and Stoney Creek campuses in a number of washrooms where an air dryer is available.
How does removing paper towels influence Mohawk’s waste and emissions?
- In a 2023 waste audit, paper towels were found to be Mohawk College’s second highest category of divertible waste sent to landfill.
- The life cycle of a single sheet of paper towel, from chopping down a tree to being discarded in a landfill, generates approximately 27 grams of CO2e.
- For just 10 sheets per day, that adds up to 100kg CO2e per year being emitted into the atmosphere – this is equivalent to driving an average gasoline vehicle about 409km.
Are electric hand-dryers really more sustainable than paper towels?
- Yes. According to multiple studies, paper towels cause more carbon emissions than air dryers. This is especially true in Ontario where we have a relatively clean electricity grid.
What options will be available to dry my hands?
- It is important that you dry your hands fully after washing them to prevent spreading bacteria. This can be done using either air dryers or paper towels.
- All washrooms on campus will continue to have either an air-dryer or a paper towel dispenser. In some cases, both options will continue to be available to dry your hands.
- Paper towels will continue to be available in high traffic washrooms across the Fennell and Stoney Creek campuses.
Achieving a sustainable campus will take collective effort from all members of the Mohawk College community. We appreciate your continued support of our sustainable operations at Mohawk.
If you have further questions and would like to get in contact with Mohawk Sustainability, please email sustainability [at] mohawkcollege.ca (sustainability[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca)
