Abstract:

The ultimate purpose of university is to make a significant contribution to the construction and the transformation of the society through education, research and contribution to the environment. In the current social context, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an opportunity for Universities to respond to the challenges of the world from a global perspective but without losing the local commitment.

The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has articulated its commitment to sustainability in the EHUagenda 2030 For Sustainable Development (2019-2025). This agenda describes UPV/EHU's contribution to 12 of Agenda 2030's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and seeks to align the work of the University with the great challenges of the planet. In addition, in order to respond to sustainability challenges within the university, the Campus Bizia Lab (CBL) Programme seeks to trigger a collaborative process in the university community (academic staff, service and administrative staff and students) in order to respond to sustainability challenges within the university.

The growing amount of waste generated worldwide, closely linked to our consumption and production patterns, is nowadays one of the most concerning environmental issues. It is estimated that, with rapid population growth and urbanization, the annual waste generated in the world´s cities will increase by 70% from 2016 levels, reaching 3.40 billion tones in 2050.

At local level, the daily activities carried out at the university generate a large amount of household waste that should be properly managed. Therefore, the main objective of this research work, which was within the CBL framework, was to analyze the current waste management system in the Faculty of Engineering Vitoria-Gasteiz at the UPV/EHU in order to identify opportunities to reduce the amount of waste generated and to improve selective collection. The multidisciplinary approach of the project involved academic staff, service and administrative staff (the custodians of the Faculty) and two undergraduated students, which carried out their Bachelor's thesis.

The first step was to analyze the procedure for waste collection and storage in the Faculty of Engineering, which policy includes the selective collection of glass, paper, paperboard, plastic/cans, toners, batteries and refuse. In view of the results, improvement actions to facilitate the collection of waste and the gathering of data related to the mass of each type of waste generated were proposed. These actions were pondered and agreed with the custodians of the Faculty, which are responsible for monitoring the mass of waste generated and for disposing the residues. In addition, data regarding the total amount of waste and the amount of each type of selective waste collected each academic year (in the period 2012–2019) were analyzed. The trend of increase in some of the selectively collected domestic waste led to the identification of opportunities to reduce the waste generated in the Faculty, and specific activities to materialize the improvement ideas (integrating logos and stickers on recycling containers, improving and distributing recycling guidelines, etc.) were carried out.

Finally, the protocol of waste collection and quantification was extended to other Faculties of the Campus, in order to contribute with this work to a more sustainable university and to the overall implementation of the EHUagenda 2030 For Sustainable Development.

Keywords:

Domestic waste, sustainable development, Bachelor´s Thesis in sustainability.