Sustainability and solid waste management in higher education: an inquiry into the composition and management of solid waste at the University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George campus

Many institutions of higher education have come to recognize their unique role and responsibility in promoting an environmentally sustainable society. This recognition has led to countless institutional commitments to reduce the environmental impacts associated with campus operational, teaching and research activities. Solid waste is one of the more visible and tangible signs of consumption, thus offering a key starting point for launching a campus sustainability initiative. This study describes a campus waste characterization research project to identify opportunities for enhancing waste reduction, recycling and composting while improving the overall sustainability of a waste management program at a small, research intensive and geographically isolated university in western Canada. Components of this research study were a review of waste haulage records and university policies, a literature review and two waste audits. A waste characterization procedure was used to assess solid waste generation and composition across various campus locations during two 5-day periods over consecutive winter and fall semesters in 2008. The results provide insights and baseline data for targeting specific materials and locations that represent the greatest potential for waste minimization and diversion. This project report also provides recommendations for the university administration to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of campus waste management systems and for becoming a more sustainable educational institute. --P.ii.