Preparing Your Space for Transition

It takes longer than you may think! Give yourself a generous amount of time to sort and pack up your belongings. This can be a surprisingly emotional experience for some, so be gentle with yourself and check in on others.

Some considerations for packing:

• Bring a rolling suitcase/backpack/extra bags
• If you have breakables, bring some tissue paper/bubble wrap
• Bring ziplock bags or more sustainable options to pack those small items
• If you are going home on public transit, how will you carry everything?
• If you are bringing a car, where will you park and how will you get your items to your car?
• Do you have anything big to bring home that you will need help with?

Shredding: Shredding should be reserved for any items that are confidential/personal info or private data. Avoid using the shredder for items that can go in regular non-secure recycling. 

Records (documents) Retention Schedule: Please read and be aware of the TMU Records Retention Schedule. If you have any questions, ask your leaders.

For a large volume of paper files that need to be retained you can consider outsourcing the scanning. TMU has a records imaging vendor of record (Octacom) who you can contact for assistance.

If scanning is not needed but the records need to be retained until the retention period expires and storage space is not available, consider sending them to off-campus storage.

If there is a large volume to deal with, consider hosting a clean up day as a transition back to campus where staff spend a part of the day or all day dealing with the paper.

Please contact recordsmanagement@torontomu.ca for advice and assistance. More information is available on our Records Management webpage.

• Please be mindful of sustainability as you sort through your items and clear out your work space.
• Think reuse first and recycle second prior to garbage, which should be your last option.  
• Used and worn out folders should be recycled, while gently used folders could likely be reused. 
• Please note that binders should not be placed in the regular recycling stream, but collected separately. If we have a large quantity of binders (approximately 200 or more), a hauler will collect them for recycling, including old and broken binders. Binders are sometimes also collected at donations centres. Contact the Facilities Help Desk for details on binder recycling.
• Old note books with mixed materials are also not recyclable unless they’re disassembled, with the paper going in paper recycling and the metal coils in the plastics/bottles and cans recycling stream. Plastic coils are not recyclable and should go in the landfill waste stream. 
• Refer to the waste webpage in the Sustainability section of the Facilities Management and Development website for more information on our campus waste reduction and recycling program, in addition to specialised recycling streams for items such as writing utensils, books and electronic devices.

Consider setting aside items that can be donated to charitable organizations or local drives.  Trade or re-gift any desk items that someone else may want. Donate books to libraries or create a resource centre or mini-library in your area.

Ask your leader, or department coordinator, about storage options for required documents and/or other items that need to be stored. Discuss whether there are confidential materials that need to be retained and how these can be stored securely. Non-confidential items that need to be stored (for example expandable banners, copies of printed brochures, etc) should be placed in a department-determined area and labelled appropriately for easy organization.

• Leave any keys in desk/locker locks
• Drawers should be 100% emptied and wiped down
• All items should be sorted, donated, recycled, put in garbage or taken home
• Remove name tags from desk areas