Study about solid waste management

in Faculty of Engineering, University

of Ruhuna
• With the increase of population and industrialization, waste
management is becoming a severe problem around the world. As a
result, every government liable to take necessary actions to
manage solid waste unless it will cause public health problems if
not managed properly.
• We plan to start this from our faculty. In order to reduce waste at
the university, recycling processes must be improved and well
planned to introduce organic recycling methods.
• For that, first we are studied about the types of solid wastes and
the amount of solid waste which is excluded by the faculty per day
• And we are identified the level of awareness on solid waste
management among students in order to reduce the waste
generated and for proper disposal of garbage.
Objectives
•To identify the level of awareness on solid waste management
among students
•Study the types and quantity of solid waste produces by the
faculty community every day.
•Implement a suggestions to minimize and manage solid waste
produced
•To protect health, wellbeing and the environment
•Encourage to reducing, re using, recycling and recovering waste
Identification of level of awareness on solid waste management among university
students

The main instrument used in gathering data about the awareness of solid waste
management was a questionnaire for randomly selected 100 students of the faculty.

The questionnaire is in the form of a checklist which is about solid waste management
practices in terms of segregation, reduce, reuse, recycle and disposal
 Practices among students in terms of segregation

never seldom often always

I separate biodegradable(banana peels, paper) and non 00 11 32 57

biodegradable(plastics, polythene) at the university

I separate recyclable wastes(paper, cardboard) from non- 01 07 32 60

recyclable (food waste, leaves) wastes at the university
 separating bio degradable and non bio degradable separating recyclable bio degradable waste from
waste matter non recyclable waste
0% never
seldom seldom
never 1% 7%
11%

often
32%

always often
57% 32% always
60%

never seldom often always

never seldom often always
 summary of practices in terms of segregation
60%
56%

50%

40%

32%
30%

20%

10%
9%

0.50%
0%
very good good fair poor

This shows that out of 100 randomly selected students 56% have very good practises in segregation
32%e has good practises, 9% are fair and only 0.5% have poor practises in segregation.
This shows that most of the students have good practises in segregation of waste matter.
 Practices among students in terms of reduce

never seldom often always

I buy only what I need so that I will not end up 06 20 60 14

throwing away extra food

I borrow, share or rent things that are needed 06 18 45 31

occasionally
buying only what is needed and ending borrowing ,sharing and renting things
up throwing extra food that are needed occasionally
never
never 6%
always 6%
14%
always seldom
seldom 31% 18%
20%

often often
60%never seldom often always never seldom
45%always
often
 summary chart on practices in terms of reduce
60.00%
52.50%
50.00%

40.00%

30.00%
22.50%
20.00%
19%

10.00%
6%

0.00%
very good good fair poor
Practices in terms of reuse

never seldo often always

m

I reuse grocery bags 22 30 38 10

I reuse scrap papers in to memo pads 45 27 25 03

I reuse old materials than buying new ones 06 40 44 10

I use washable food containers 03 21 55 21

 reusing grocery bags reusing scrap prapers

always always
10% 3%
never
22%
often
25%

never
45%

often
38%

seldom seldom
30% 27%

never seldom often always never seldom often always

 reusing old materials using washable food containers
never
always never
6%
10% 3%

always
21%
seldom
21%

seldom
40%

often
44%

often
55%

never seldom often always

never seldom often always
 summary chart -reuse
45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
very good good fair poor
Practices in terms of recycle

never seldom often always

I convert waste materials to a new product 39 38 22 01

I make decors out of plastic wrappers and other 48 30 22 00

colorful materials

I initiate generating income out of waste materials 63 26 10 01

 making decors out of plastic wrappers and
generate income out of wate materials other colorful materials
always
often 1% always
10% 0%
often
22%

converting waste materials to a new

seldom product
26% always never
1% 48%

often
never 22%
63%

never seldom
39% 30%

never seldom often always

never seldom often always

seldom
38%

never seldom often always

 summary chart of practices in terms of recycle
60.00%

50.00%

40.00%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%
very good good fair poor
 Practices in terms of disposal
never seldom often always

I dispose waste matter in to separate garbage containers 06 10 41 43

I dispose toxic/special wastes such as electronic waste in to a 05 27 48 20

separate garbage container
 disposing waste matter into seperate garbage disposing special wastes such as electronic wastes into a
containers seperate container
never never
6% 5%
seldom always
10% 20%

seldom
27%
always
43%

often
41%

often
48%

never seldom often always never seldom often always

 summary chart of practises in terms of disposal
50.00%

45.00%

40.00%

35.00%

30.00%

25.00%

20.00%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%
very good good fair poor
• Conclusions
• This study disclosed the following findings:
• The awareness on solid waste management of university students was at a satisfactory level.
• Most of them were fully aware in the identification of bio degradable and non bio degradable
waste matter from each other
• The students have good practices on solid waste management in terms of segregation,
reduce, reuse, disposal but poor in recycling.
• And most of the students throw some special wastes like e wastes (used batteries etc.) in to
various bins as they do not have a separate bins to put them at the hostels

• suggestions

• more trash bins should be provided for special wastes (batteries etc.)
• the students must be informed about the advantages of recycling by a campaign of solid
waste management in the general orientation program.
• students should have the ability to take their dinner at the canteen it self so it reduces the
generate of polythene and paper waste from lunch sheets and wrapping papers from the
dinner packets
• there should be trash bins to dispose glass materials
Thank you