Recycling and reuse technology: Waste to wealth initiative in a private tertiary institution, Nigeria

Abstract

The practice of collecting, treating, and managing solid waste prior to disposal has become a necessity in developing and modern societies. However, over the years, most waste has become regarded as having second-rate value and could be recovered and reused for valuable goods. However, the construction costs for conventional Material Recovery Facility(s) (MRFs) have been a major barrier for its implementation, and these technologies also require considerable technical expertise, which is not often available in developing nations for the successful operation of the MRFs. Covenant University, a private mission institution undertaking a waste-to-wealth scheme, is focused on managing and processing used materials to create reusable products. Such materials included PET bottles, paper waste, food waste from cafeterias, plastic food packs, nylon, tin cans, and others. Specific areas from the university which were chosen for the survey included the residential areas for staff and students and the two cafeterias. The waste generated was characterized so as to quantify the amount of recyclable waste generated, and also to find out which was most-occurring. The survey involved the use of structured questionnaires, on-site observations, and measurements. The study revealed that the average amount of recyclable waste generated per day in the institution were 55.56% food waste, 13.46% PET bottles, 12.64% other plastic, 9.63% nylon, 4.68% tin cans, and 4.03% paper. The study establishes that adequate waste characterization is a requirement for effective integrated solid waste management, which would boost resource recovery, reuse, and recycling.