A comprehensive solid waste audit in UWC residences: awareness, views, and waste management amongst university students and waste workers

Abstract

The expansion of the global population, coupled with rapid urbanisation, shifting consumer behaviours, and an increase in living standards, has precipitated a significant surge in waste generation. This escalation in waste output poses a multifaceted challenge, primarily due to the predominant methods of waste disposal, which typically involve surface-level environmental interventions such as landfilling and combustion. These practices have adverse consequences for both the environment and human well-being, notably through the emission of hazardous gases such as Methane. This study narrows its focus to examine how such challenges manifest within the microcosm of university life, specifically, two student residences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The study probes the current state of waste management and eliciting insights from key stakeholders – namely, students and residence staff – with the overarching objective of devising strategies to mitigate waste accumulation. To effectively navigate this inquiry, a set of three objectives were formulated which include evaluating the state of Solid Waste Management (SWM) at South African Universities. Then a waste audit of solid waste generated in UWC residences was conducted. The third objective was to explore the views and perspectives of UWC stakeholders with regards to SWM in the university. The study utilised Waste Management Theory to interpret findings and employ mixed methods, including systematic literature review, waste audit, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, to comprehensively understand waste generation and management in the university setting. The two residences had a waste generation of 1141,07 kg over the six-week period, and the largest waste stream was found to be the organic waste stream. UWC students have mid-to-high levels of awareness regarding SWM, however, the Fischer’s Exact Tests showed little to insignificant correlation between students’ awareness and practices. The way students perceived waste was found to be linked to how they interacted with it, students who saw waste as dirty and smelly were reluctant to interact with it through waste separation or other methods. Whereas the opposite occurred when some students perceived waste as an economic resource and participated in reuse and recycling. Some of the recommendations include more awareness campaigns utilizing social media and the curriculum already in place and regular waste audits