WU Waste tracking

21Oct 2024 by Kittipong Bunlear

Sustainability and Stewardship

Walailak University implements an integrated waste management system continuously, aiming for zero waste while considering economic, social, and environmental sustainability in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The university has established a waste management program responsible for overseeing and measuring the whole campus’ waste, excluding hazardous waste generated by laboratories. This type of waste, often contaminated with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and infectious materials, is managed by The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment (CSE) at Walailak University. The CSE ensures proper storage and safe disposal of this waste by partnering with external waste management companies.

Currently, Walailak University places great emphasis on monitoring and measuring the amount of waste generated and recycled across the entire campus. The university employs waste separation, tracking and measuring waste quantities from the source, utilizing color-coded bins for different types of waste. This system ensures proper waste management according to sanitation principles, helping to prevent environmental issues. The waste management process involves monitoring waste at all stages source, mid-stage, and final stage to ensure effective waste tracking and disposal.

The Process of Monitoring and Measuring Waste at the Source

1. Awareness Campaigns and Educational Materials: The university implements campaigns and creates promotional video materials to raise awareness about waste prevention and the importance of waste separation. These materials educate users on how to properly separate different types of waste and provide instructions on appropriate disposal methods for each type.

2. Waste Separation by Type: Waste is sorted according to the signs and the color-coded bins, helping the university to track the quantity of waste generated each day. The bins are categorized as follows:

- - - - Green Bins: For organic waste, which decomposes naturally in a short time.
      - Blue Bins: For general waste that is difficult to decompose, is not cost-effective to recycle, and is non-hazardous.
      - Red Bins: For hazardous waste, including waste contaminated with chemicals that are harmful to human health and the environment, as well as infectious waste generated from medical treatments and diagnostics.
      - Yellow Bins: For recyclable waste, which can be reused or recycled, even if it is difficult to decompose.

These bins are strategically placed around the university’s buildings, including classrooms, cafeterias, food centers, markets, student dormitories, staff residences, administrative offices, sports centers, parks, and the university hospital. This encourages awareness and responsibility for waste separation, while also reducing the time required for staff to sort the waste. Once the waste is sorted by users, the designated staff collect it from the bins and transfer it to the waste collection points, organizing it by type.

Waste from laboratories, which are not included in regular bins due to their high toxicity, heavy metal contamination, or infectious nature, is separately managed by the Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment (CSE) at Walailak University and disposed of by external waste management companies.

Mid-Stage Waste Management

At this stage, the collected waste from designated points is gathered and transported by waste collection vehicles to be disposed of properly. Waste collection occurs four times a day across the university campus, with two rounds in the morning and two in the afternoon. Each round covers a different route, as outlined below:

Final Stage Waste Management

At this stage, the waste is weighed and recorded daily before being processed following proper sanitation and environmental health guidelines. The goal is to prevent environmental issues through appropriate waste disposal methods. The processes are as follows:

1. Recyclable Waste and Beneficial Use: Materials like paper, glass, and plastic are recycled and sold to the waste bank. Organic waste is repurposed as animal feed within the university. Non-biodegradable general waste that is not cost-effective to recycle and combustible waste is processed into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).

Figures : Organic waste is reused as animal feed and for compost production.

Figures : Recyclable waste, such as plastic bottles or paper, is either reused or sent to the waste bank.

Figures : Inorganic waste is recycled into Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF).

2. Non-Hazardous Waste: Waste that cannot be repurposed is disposed of through sanitary landfill methods.

In 2023, the university tracked waste levels across different zones and recorded a total waste output of 841.73 tons for the year, averaging 2.31 tons per day. The waste was categorized as follows:

Figures: The Amount of Waste Generated Each Month at Walailak University in 2023

1. Recyclable or Reusable Waste: This type of waste amounted to 774.12 tons annually, representing 91.97% of the total waste. It is subdivided into non-biodegradable waste, such as glass, aluminum cans, dust, and metals, which decompose slowly but can be recycled or processed into RDF. Organic waste, such as vegetable scraps, fruit peels, food leftovers, leaves, and meat scraps, is quickly biodegradable and can be composted or used as animal feed.

In 2023, non-biodegradable recyclable waste amounted to 735.83 tons annually (2.02 tons per day), accounting for 87.42% of the total waste, while organic recyclable waste totaled 38.29 tons annually (0.10 tons per day), or 4.55% of the total.

2. Landfill Waste: Non-recyclable waste, such as metal scraps, tiles, and stones, is disposed of via sanitary landfill methods.
In 2023, 67.61 tons of waste (0.19 tons per day) were sent to landfills, accounting for 8.03% of the total waste.

Compared to previous years, the amount of recyclable waste (both organic and non-biodegradable) increased, while the volume of landfill waste decreased. This shift is attributed to the university’s initiatives promoting recycling and the reintroduction of materials into production cycles, which reduced daily waste generation. This effort not only mitigates pollution but also maximizes the beneficial reuse of waste.