Leading the pack in audio-visual sustainability

Have you ever thought about how much e-waste the average person produces over their lifetime? What about a large organization like the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)? Thankfully, Information & Instructional Technology Services (I&ITS) has, and they’ve got us covered. 

In late 2025, I&ITS teamed up with the Sustainability Office to tackle the growing issue of e-waste on campus, specifically when it comes to audio-visual equipment. Hosting a workshop that included organizations like Mohawk College, York University and Calgary-based technology company Nureva, UTM explored how post-secondary institutions can collectively reduce our environmental footprint in an industry where the upgrade cycle is constant. As a result, UTM became the first Canadian university to achieve Sustainability in AV (SAVe) certification through Sustainability in AV (SAVe).

“AV specifically is a huge contributor to e-waste in general because all the equipment is essentially built for obsolescence,” says Matt O’Reilly, Manager, Events and Classroom Experience. “So, what we’re doing is finding ways to mitigate our environmental footprint and ensuring we’re making decisions that are not only in the best interest of the university, but of the planet.”

With over 150 technology-enabled spaces on campus and with roughly 30–50 pieces of AV equipment associated with each classroom, it's easy to see how equipment that dates itself almost as quickly as its installed can quickly add up. And with global electronic waste rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling, novel solutions are needed. 

Current landscape

In 2025, UTM amassed over 8,000 pounds of e-waste — roughly the weight of an adult elephant or a mid-size SUV. This comes from a variety of sources including: 

• Maintenance and upgrades to classroom learning technology.
• End-of-life management of standard office technology like computers, phones and printers.
• Batteries, adapters and cables that power these devices. 

While that seems like a lot, thanks to UTM’s Sustainability Strategic Plan for 2030, UTM is already making strides towards mitigating our e-waste contributions — and that’s why our numbers are significantly lower than national and global averages. In April 2024, the Sustainability Office introduced specialty e-waste recycling bins for individual e-waste, while university-owned assets are collected through I&ITS. All of the campus’s e-waste — items that otherwise would sit in landfills for decades, centuries and even millions of years — then gets recycled according to the highest global recycling standards.

“Our Sustainability Strategic Plan gives us a clear roadmap, but it’s the collective action behind it that really matters,” says Beverley Ayeni, Associate Director, Sustainability and Energy Management at UTM. “Initiatives like responsible e-waste management demonstrate how operational decisions today can meaningfully support our long-term climate goals.”

But ethical and responsible e-waste recycling is just part of the puzzle. 

“It’s a little daunting,” says O’Reilly, when asked to comment on sustainability at a global scale. “The whole point is to compartmentalize and make conscious and deliberate actionable steps that can be measured, and those efforts will ultimately touch in ways we haven’t thought of.”

Sustainability in AV action plan

Here’s what you can expect from I&ITS in 2026 as part of the action plan to address sustainability in AV. 

1. Incorporate sustainability into AV design framework for classroom refresh projects, new equipment acquisitions and enhanced equipment recycling.
2. Establish minimum sustainability requirements of AV equipment for all new procurement requests.
3. Promote repair cafes on campus and pilot a second-life equipment program with local schools and community partners.

O’Reilly encourages folks who are reading this to consciously think about how we’re actioning our operations and what that means from beginning to end-of-life cycle. And to reach out to the Sustainability Office if you have an idea about how we can make a difference.

“No idea is too small if it makes an impact.”