A campus environment club's plan to reduce solid waste

Introduction

As head of the campus environment club, my plan follows one rule throughout: reduce first, then reuse, then recycle, and treat on campus whatever is left. A college is a bulk waste generator under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 once its waste averages more than 100 kg a day, and a campus 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 within the premises as far as possible. So the plan is also how the college meets the law.

Food courts and cafeterias

• Cut waste at the counter. Smaller standard portions with free second helpings, menus planned on daily attendance, and leftovers of the day given to a food bank or to the support staff.
• Washable crockery. Steel plates, glasses and cutlery with a dish-washing point, instead of throwaway paper and plastic plates and cups; cloth napkins or hand-dryers instead of paper napkins.
• Bulk buying. Vendors buy oil, milk and condiments in bulk or refillable containers, not sachets.
• Separate bins. Green bins for food waste and blue bins for dry waste at every counter, with a volunteer during lunch hours for the first month.
• Compost the rest. All food waste goes to the campus compost pits or a small biogas unit.

Stationery and packaging

• Go digital. Notices, circulars, assignments and fest passes online; print on both sides when printing is unavoidable.
• Reuse. A rough paper box in every department for one-side-used sheets; old notebooks bound into pads.
• Recycle. Clean paper and cartons are collected separately and sold to a paper recycler.
• Less packaging. Ask suppliers to deliver stationery and canteen goods with minimal packaging, since two or three layers of fancy packaging serve no purpose; refillable pens and markers instead of use-and-throw ones.

Disposable plastics

• A plastic-free campus pledge for water bottles, cups, straws, cutlery and carry bags.
• Water refill stations on every floor and a discount in the canteen for students who bring their own bottle or mug.
• Cloth and jute bags at the college store instead of plastic carry bags.
• Fests and events use steel or leaf plates and banners of cloth that can be reused next year.
• Unavoidable plastic (packets, wrappers) is collected clean and dry and handed to an authorised recycler, never burnt.

Gardening waste

• Keep it separate. The Rules require garden and horticulture waste to be stored separately on the premises and disposed of as the local body directs.
• Leaf composting. Fallen leaves, grass cuttings and pruned twigs go into leaf-compost pits or mesh enclosures in the corner of the lawn; a compost bin also reduces the use of chemical fertiliser.
• Mulching. Shredded leaves are spread round trees and beds to keep in moisture.
• No burning of dry leaves, which smokes the campus.

Running and monitoring the plan

The club forms teams for each area, trains the canteen and housekeeping staff, and keeps a weekly record of the weight of food waste, dry recyclables and compost made. Results are put up on the notice board each month, and the department with the least waste per student is recognised at the annual fest.

Conclusion

With washable crockery, digital paper work, a plastic-free pledge and on-site composting, most of the campus's solid waste can be avoided or treated on campus, and only a small reject fraction need leave the college.