RRFB

The following projects received funding from RRFB Nova Scotia through the Student Research Grants Program:

Vermicomposting at Dalhousie Campus
Kit Milnes of Dalhousie University is testing a vermicomposting system (worm composting) that will help the campus explore alternative methods of handling its organic waste.

C&D Waste Diversion Barriers (Region 2) 
Rebecca Sheffer of Saint Francis Xavier University is examining local barriers associated with construction and demolition waste diversion.

Household Hazardous Waste Opportunities
Gary Ewen of Saint Francis Xavier University is researching potential options for several household hazardous waste materials, including oil containers, aerosol cans and batteries.

Compost Use in Strawberry Growing
Ben Thomas, a student in the Masters of Resource & Environmental Management program at Dalhousie University, is conducting a study on the biowaste (Compost) application and fertigation adjustment on strawberry plasticulture yield and quality.

Waste Shingles in Cement Production
Ebenezer Asamany is currently enrolled in the Master of Sciences Chemical Engineering program at Dalhousie. Working with LaFarge in Brookfield, NS, Ebenezer is exploring ways to incorporate waste shingles into cement production.

Marine Waste - Bait Boxes
Robin McCullough is a Dalhousie Honours Economics student with a minor in Environmental Studies. Robin’s research proposal involves the investigation of Nova Scotia’s bait box industry with a goal to reduce the ecological footprint of bait boxes. Her project will investigate the incentives by fishers to use the unsustainable technology and how their incentives might be changed to get them to adopt greener bait boxes.

Demolition vs. Deconstruction
Typically, demolition contractors knock down a building and transport the mixed materials to a waste site. Some proponents of green practices believe that deconstruction (salvage, disassembly, sorting) makes better use of resources and is cost effective. Colin Jeffrey, a Dalhousie Student, is conducting a controlled experiment that assesses the difference between demolition and deconstruction.

University Diversion - Beyond 80%
The Dalhousie Office of Sustainability recently completed a campus-wide waste audit, identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve diversion throughout the entire campus. Building on this information, Chad Hiscock is exploring opportunities that will allow Dalhousie to process their own materials and reduce their dependence on external waste service providers.