Green Campus Development through Municipal Solid Waste Characterisation and Decentralised Waste Management: A Case Study of UET Peshawar, Abbottabad Campus

Abstract

This research examines how an educational institution can be transformed into a sustainable model for green campus initiatives, using a university campus as a case study. Muncipal solid waste management is emerging as a problem in developing countries because of urbanisation. Campuses can be living laboratories for implementing sustainable waste management, but currently, most campuses use centralised waste management systems. For this study, a mixed methodology was employed, which entailed a systematic review of secondary sources of information, as well as the collection of primary information at selected sites on the UET Abbottabad Campus. The secondary sources review and preliminary assessment of the existing waste management system were done in tandem to provide the conceptual basis for interventions at the sites while assessing current practices and operational gaps. Later, a comprehensive primary waste characterisation exercise was done through the segregation and weighing of waste generated in various units of the campus. Results shows that the organic waste contributed 66.8% to the total waste, but only 9.2% of the recyclable materials were processed, while the rest, 90.8%, was sent to the municipal dumping sites, which clearly reveals the disposal-centric system with a huge unrealised potential for on-site recovery and recycling. The findings establish the potential of decentralised waste management, especially when carried out in the vicinity. In an organised setting such as a university, decentralised composting can be an effective measure to treat organic waste, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance soil quality, making it a sustainable and economically viable solution for managing municipal solid waste. On-site composting and source segregation need to be implemented and institutionalised. A green campus model should be developed that can be replicated in resource-limited institutions.