Wu Green: Solid Waste and Hazardous Substance Management

Walailak University (WU) is a public university dedicated to being a green, happy, and sustainable university for all, so WU aims to have a good, clean, safe environment that is conducive to teaching and has a good quality of life in the university. Therefore, WU reviewed the policy on “Waste and Hazardous Waste Management B. E. 2565 (2022)” in the unit’s work processes, considering energy saving and caring for the environment, aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems. The announcement is committed to becoming a sustainable university and recognizes the importance of resource consumption and sustainable waste management for public.

WU operates following the policy framework on waste management and including hazardous waste, as follows:

1. All sections and departments at “WU must operate under the Green University Policy on Waste and Hazardous Waste Management framework for a sustainable society and environment, both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Besides, the sections and departments shall drive WU toward becoming a zero-waste university with the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle principle.
2. The Center of Waste Management Landscape Architecture and Environment, WU, is responsible for managing general waste, hazardous waste, and wastewater. The center also shall measure the amount of waste sent to landfill and recycled at WU to compare and reflect the performance of the university on sustainability and the waste generation behaviors of users.
3. Sort Waste into the following categories:
   1. Composable Waste means waste that can be compostable and used as compost when it decays, e.g., vegetable scraps, food scraps, and animal remains.
   2. Recycle Waste means waste that can be processed into products, materials, and substances, e.g., plastic scraps, glasses, and papers.
   3. Hazardous Waste means waste composed or contaminated with substances, secretions, or chemicals such as aerosol cans, engine oil bottles, toilet cleaner bottles, nail polish bottles, etc.
   4. General Waste means other types of waste with properties that are difficult to decompose and not qualified to be reused, such as instant noodle sachets, candy shells, candy bags, plastic bags, etc.
4. WU shall strengthen collaboration in research, innovation, and technology development to manage and sustainably manage waste and hazardous waste.
5. WU shall integrate the knowledge of waste and hazardous waste management in textbooks and classes to raise sustainability awareness and create a corporate culture to realize social and environmental responsibility.

WU develop a wastewater treatment, hazardous waste, and general waste management system as follows:

1. WU provides public relations and training for students about waste separation and disposal in the specified bin type.
2. WU sorts out different types of waste to benefit or sell, generate income, and further manage the waste separation system.
3. Unusable Waste shall be incinerated, which can burn 3 tons per day, and use the heat from the incinerator generates 30,000 watts of electricity per hour. WU’s incinerator is a prototype that can be used in other provinces.
4. WU manages the wastewater treatment system by taking care of the wastewater route before going through the treatment pond and then using ozone (O3) for treatment. Then it is drained into the Kaem Lingarea (retention basin) and released into nature.

In addition, WU also has a modern laboratory with complete tools to become a Smart Laboratory to support Active Learning teaching and learning, resulting in quality teaching. There is consists of the Nursing Laboratory, Physical Therapy Laboratory, Medical Technology Laboratory, Medical Laboratory, Pharmaceutical Laboratory, Physics Laboratory, Biology Laboratory, Chemistry Laboratory, Microbiology Laboratory, and Engineering Laboratory under the services of the Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment, working in the laboratory safety and chemical disposal of hazardous waste properly for over 20 years.

The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment organizes the “Symbols, Hazardous Chemicals and Waste Management from Laboratory” laboratory safety training for graduate students, researchers, and research assistants, to practice and handle chemicals and hazardous waste in the laboratory.

The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment operates online safety training materials on “Laboratory Waste management,” “Hazardous chemical symbols,” and a laboratory safety management manual showing how to use it for its intended purpose, chemical data management, and chemical waste data management to benefit from a comprehensive and efficient use.