An eco-club framework for managing the college's solid waste sustainably, with a schematic plan

Introduction

As a member of the eco-club, I would manage the college's solid waste in four stages: find out what waste is produced and where, sort it at the point of origin, treat as much as possible on campus, and send only the remainder away safely. The plan also meets the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, under which a college producing more than 100 kg of waste a day is a bulk waste generator and an institution of more than 5,000 square metres must, within a year of the Rules being notified and working with the local body, segregate at source and process its biodegradable waste on its own premises as far as possible.

Step 1: Survey of the campus

• Walk-through and mapping. Teams visit every block (canteen, hostel, library, labs, offices, washrooms, lawns, parking, construction areas) and mark the bins and dumping spots on a campus map.
• Observe and record. At each point the team notes what is thrown away and sorts it into three groups: degradable waste that micro-organisms break down easily, non-degradable waste such as plastic and glass, and toxic waste such as chemicals, paints and sprays.
• Weigh for a week. The waste from each source is weighed daily for one week to find the quantity and the share of each kind.
• Ask questions. Interview canteen staff, housekeeping, lab assistants and the gardener: where the waste goes now, how often it is collected, and what problems they face; the survey asks what the effects of the waste are and what action can reduce it.

Step 2: Sources and kinds of waste identified

Grouped by kind: biodegradable (food and garden waste), dry recyclable (paper, plastic, glass and metal, much of which can be recycled), dry non-recyclable, and domestic hazardous waste such as used batteries, tube lights, expired medicines and used needles.

Step 3: Steps for managing the waste

1. Reduce: washable crockery in the canteen, digital notices, refill stations instead of bottled water, cloth bags at the store.
2. Segregate at source: sets of colour-coded bins (wet, dry, hazardous) at every point found in the survey. Every generator must keep the biodegradable, non-biodegradable and domestic hazardous streams apart; sanitary waste must be wrapped and put with dry waste, and garden waste kept separate (rule 4).
3. Collect: housekeeping staff collect each stream separately on a fixed timetable to a covered storage shed.
4. Treat on campus: wet and garden waste to compost or vermi-compost pits; compost used in the college lawns.
5. Recycle: dry recyclables weighed and given to an authorised recycler or waste pickers.
6. Hand over safely: hazardous waste and e-waste to the agencies named by the local body or registered recyclers; rubble reused as filling material.
7. Dispose of the residue: only the small reject fraction goes to the municipal collection; nothing is burnt on campus.
8. Awareness and monitoring: orientation for new students, posters, a monthly waste record and an annual waste audit by the eco-club.

Schematic illustration of the plan

               SURVEY OF THE CAMPUS
   (map the bins -> sort into degradable / non-degradable / toxic
               -> weigh for a week -> interview staff)
                          |
                          v
          SOURCES IDENTIFIED (canteen, hostel, offices,
               labs, gardens, washrooms, construction)
                          |
                          v
                 REDUCE AT SOURCE
     (washable crockery, digital notices, refill stations)
                          |
                          v
            SEGREGATION AT SOURCE (3 streams)
        +-----------------+-----------------+
        |                 |                 |
     WET WASTE        DRY WASTE        HAZARDOUS / E-WASTE
  (food, garden)  (paper, plastic,   (batteries, medicines,
        |          glass, metal)       bulbs, old devices)
        v                 v                 v
  Compost / vermi-   Authorised         Agency named by the
  compost pits on    recycler or        local body / registered
  campus             waste pickers      e-waste recycler
        |                 |                 |
        v                 v                 v
  Manure for the     Income for         Safe treatment
  college lawns      the eco-club       off campus
        +-----------------+-----------------+
                          |
                          v
        RESIDUE ONLY -> municipal collection (no burning)
                          |
                          v
     MONITORING: monthly waste record, annual audit, awareness

Conclusion

A survey tells the eco-club what waste the college makes and where; segregation at source, on-campus composting and links with recyclers then let most of it be reused or recycled. The plan is sustainable because it reduces waste first, uses the college's own staff and students to run it, and is checked every month.