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Before beginning our volunteer work, we attended an informative session with the Sustainable Office at Humber. The team provided us with valuable background information on how the Friendlier initiative was developed, its operational process, and key messaging points to communicate effectively with the campus community. This session gave us a deeper understanding of the program and prepared us to engage with students and college community in a meaningful way. Plus, it was great to see how much thought and effort had gone into making this initiative work on campus.

Friendlier is a circular waste reduction program that replaces single-use food packaging with reusable containers. It operates through an easy to use system that encourages sustainability without sacrificing convenience. Customers who purchase food in school retails like Food Emporium, Street cafe, Gourmet Express, etc. simply scan a QR code on the container using the Friendlier app. Once they finish their meal, they return the container to a designated drop-off bin on campus. From there, the containers are collected, professionally cleaned, and redistributed for reuse. This system helps to reduce waste while promoting a culture of conscious consumption.

On Tuesday, March 25, from 1:25 PM to 4:15 PM, Alejandra and I set out to spread the word. We started in the Food Emporium and classroom halls, talking to students about how easy it is to use the Friendlier app, scan their containers, and return them to the designated bins. Most students were really open to the idea, but we did hear some say they kept forgetting to return their containers or scanning before dropping them. That led to some interesting conversations about how convenience plays a huge role in sustainable habits. Wanting to take it a step further, we reached out to some friends and professors to see if we could talk about Friendlier in their classes. A few of them were on board, which gave us a chance to present to a wider audience. The best part of it was that some students told us afterward that they hadn’t even known about the program but were now planning to use it. That felt like a small but real win!

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The friendlier company has a huge impact on the environment, the reusable container system has an important role in promoting the sustainability, it involves environmental, economic and social challenges like the single use waste.

By environmental impact, we mean that with friendlier we replace the disposable containers to a reusable ones,by that we reduce a huge amount of waste that we sent to landfills and we prevent the plastic pollution in our ecosystems; Single use containers (plastic ones) take decades to decompose, with Friendlier we minimizes this impact by return, sanitize and using one container multiple times preserving natural resources and lowering the carbon footprint.

By economic we mean it as a benefit of Friendlier users, Friendlier also promote economic sustainability by the deposit-refound model that encourages the users (in this case students) to return the containers and get back $0.50cad, and by that, the Friendlier company ensures to reduce losses and maintain the supply of reusable containers; For this we create a long term cost savings for businesses, also Friendlier contribute with job creations by requiring workers for different areas like the container collection, cleaning and distribution.

By social, we mean that the Friendlier system encourages the consumers habits of making waste reduction; With the QR code that every container has users get actively engage in the sustainability practice because when you downland the app and you start scanning your containers they start giving you "Badges" and they told you the worth of what you save for example "Tennis ball" correspond to the first scan and it says "Congratulations, you saved the weight of a tennis ball in plastic waste" and by that the consumers get more engage in doing the returns of the containers.

Friendlier also contributes to the Global Sustainability Goals (SDGs) like SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, because they promote a reusable container and by that they reduce the waste; SDG 13: Climate Action, they help lowering greenhouse gas emissions with an single use containers and disposal.

Friendlier is a really good option to reduce waste and help the environment by being a sustainable option for schools, workplaces, etc.

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Participating in this volunteer was not just about sharing information but actively engaging with sustainability in a practical way. While we understood Friendlier’s purpose, seeing how people responded was surprising. A key realization was how behavioral habits influence sustainable choices, many students liked the idea of reusable containers but often forgot to scan or return them, sometimes even discarding them improperly. This highlighted how convenience and habit shape consumer behavior, not just at Humber but in workplaces and public spaces as well.

Beyond individual behaviors, the experience highlighted the gap between sustainability awareness and action. Some students were unaware of the Friendlier initiative despite it being available on campus, showing how sustainability programs struggle with visibility. This reminded me of similar challenges in tourism, where hotels and destinations promote sustainability, but without education and engagement, participation remains low. It reinforced how critical education and visibility are to the success of any sustainability effort.

Another takeaway was how localized actions contribute to global sustainability. Initially, I saw Friendlier as just a campus initiative, but I realized it’s part of a larger movement toward waste reduction and circular economies. Many places struggle with single use waste, and Humber’s implementation made me think about applying similar models in hotels, resorts, and restaurants globally. Sustainability isn’t just about policy changes, it’s about practical, everyday solutions that drive systemic change.

Volunteering also came with challenges, such as engaging busy students and securing time in classes to spread awareness. We had to refine our approach, making our message concise and engaging to capture attention quickly. Navigating the cafeteria while having meaningful conversations was complex, but these obstacles reinforced the importance of adaptability and strong communication skills. Despite the difficulties, the initiative’s impact is clear, it not only reduces single use waste but also fosters a sense of responsibility, encouraging students to rethink their consumption habits.

Seeing Humber’s dedication to sustainability made me reflect on how similar initiatives could be implemented in other institutions and industries to create a broader impact. The Friendlier initiative demonstrates how small, community-driven changes can have a significant impact. It also encouraged us to examine our own consumption habits and consider how we can further reduce waste in our daily lives.

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During this volunteer introduction to the Friendlier to Humber Polytechnic students I had the opportunity to see that many of them don't know about the Friendlier app or some of them know about it but they don't know how to use it or how to “claim” the money but even of that it was amazing to deliver this information and start looking how they downland the app and start creating their accounts to start using the Friendlier app!!
One of my highlights was the reactions of the students were generally positive, with many expressing curiosity about how the app worked. Some were initially unfamiliar with the concept of a circular economy because they didn't believe that by just scanning a code they could get money back but after the explanation, they seemed genuinely interested in incorporating the app into their daily routines. Some of them were downloading the app at the moment that we talked about it, generally, Diana and I went to tables where we saw that students were using the containers and 90% of them didn't know about the friendlier app, 5% of them know about the app but they didn't know how to take their money back and the other 5% were 100% involved with the friendlier app, also the interactive nature of the app, especially the QR code scanning and deposit refund system, were when most of the students had a sparked conversation about the importance of reducing waste. It was amazing to see how the students started getting involve with the app and the sustainability!!

One of the challenges that we found was that many people don't care about it and they even throw the containers in a non-recyclable container, or some of them forget to put them in the right place because they were in a hurry to go to class, some of them were very confused at how to use the app because it is a little bit hard to start using it at first because you have to complete some steps to get your account so for that many students were asking them how to use it and everything but we helped them to do it and we emphasize how important is to be sustainable and how they can help the environment by doing that and getting money as a return so they continue doing the process to get the app.

I believe that the Friendlier app has a significant impact on campus sustainability by encouraging more sustainable consumption habits in the students, I think that introducing an easy way to be sustainable and help with the environment and also get rewarded for that is an amazing way to motivate the students, because the program it doesn't only promotes waste reduction it also makes more conscious students to help their environment by doing one simple thing, I like how Humber can apply this method in the school so that the school would be more sustainable and that the students are the major part of this making them more conscious of what they do with their containers.

Overall, I am very happy to have participated in this volunteering because I did not just deliver information, I learned about it and I learned how important this method is and also how important is to reduce waste in the schools and motivate students to do it.