Abstract
The present decade of Sustainable Development Goals has influenced higher educational institutions to assess and harness their great potential for waste diversion, recovery, and recycling. Institutional solid waste management in South Africa as a developing economy is yet to receive the required attention compared to developed countries. The measurement of the characteristics, and composition of solid waste is a fundamental pre-requisite towards creating a sustainable and viable process of solid waste management systems across institutions as this provides adequate and reliable information on the waste generated. This study aimed to determine the variations of waste components in the University of Venda (UNIVEN) by characterisation of the waste generated. Solid waste samples were collected from key activity areas and characterised using the ASTM D5321-92 method for unprocessed municipal solid waste. The recyclable, compostable, and non-recoverable components of the waste generated were found to be 61.7%, 34.4%, and 3.9%, respectively. The results of the waste audit revealed a strong potential for recycling in the institution (61.7%). This would decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills and enable the monetisation of the recyclable waste recovered from the waste stream, in this manner prompting a circular economy and a sustainable campus thereby lowering the waste footprint of higher education institutions.
Highlights
A rapidly developing community coupled with increasing economic development, and a rise in the standard of living, have quickened the rate of institutional solid waste generation (MSW) making its management difficult and challenging [1]
Girl’s residence recorded the highest amount of average waste generated per day (339.8 kg). This could be attributed to the population of those residing in the hall, and it is important to note that during field observation, it was observed that the F4 residence has a lot of squatters and residents above the ideal capacity, which results in an unusual rate of waste generation than the other residences
The School of Management Sciences recorded the highest generation of paper waste at a percentage of 54.6%, which was followed by plastic bottles at 12.2% (Table 6). This result was in line with the study of Vega et al [9] at the Universidad Autonomous Baja California (UABC) Mexicali campus, who found that waste generated in school and administrative buildings constituted mostly paper of which 33% was potentially recyclable
Summary
A rapidly developing community coupled with increasing economic development, and a rise in the standard of living, have quickened the rate of institutional solid waste generation (MSW) making its management difficult and challenging [1]. To make solid waste management decisions that are sustainable requires the understanding of the composition of wastes and how they were generated, since the composition of waste differ from source to source [2]. Decision-makers conduct waste characterisation studies to understand the waste flow—making it possible to design waste management schemes for different regions [3]. A thorough comprehension of the composition, characteristics, and procedures of waste generation is, essential for effective solid waste management. One of the serious issues in solid waste management is to decide the amount and compositions of waste generated in academic institutions. The plan, execution, and administration of the solid waste management process require exact data on the amounts and attributes of the solid waste to be managed
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