Reporters: Asst.Prof. Saowanee Chaipech, Dr. Kittichon U-taynapun, Asst.Prof. Sudanai Krualee, Mr. Ugrit Chammari
Evidence Date: during 2024 Jan-Dec
Related SDGs:
Related Indicators: 12.3
Details:
Introduction: Comprehensive Waste Management for Sustainability
Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya (RUTS) demonstrates exemplary institutional commitment to SDG Target 12.3, which focuses on responsible consumption and production patterns through effective waste management. As measured by THE Impact Rankings indicators 12.3.1 (Waste Tracking) and 12.3.2 (Proportion of Waste Recycled), the university has established comprehensive systems for measuring, monitoring, and maximizing waste diversion from landfills across all three campuses in Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Kanom), and Trang.
The university’s integrated approach addresses both fundamental requirements of SDG 12.3: systematic waste tracking to understand generation patterns and establish baselines, and active waste recycling programs to minimize environmental impact. Since 2022, RUTS has operated under formal sustainability policies requiring comprehensive waste measurement, source separation, and recycling optimization. This dual focus on tracking and recycling positions the university as a leader in institutional waste management and environmental stewardship.
Policy Framework: Institutional Governance for Waste Management
RUTS’s waste management excellence stems from robust policy foundations establishing clear responsibilities, measurement protocols, and performance standards. The university operates under the Announcement of Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya regarding criteria, terms, and methods for rental rates and maintenance costs of property under university care (2023), which mandates environmental performance requirements for all campus operations, particularly food service providers and facility management contractors.
The governance structure includes a dedicated committee established under University Order No. 956/2023, responsible for ensuring business operations comply with university sustainability criteria. This committee oversees waste management compliance, reviews measurement data, and drives continuous improvement initiatives. Policy requirements explicitly address both waste tracking (12.3.1) and recycling performance (12.3.2), creating institutional accountability for achieving ambitious waste diversion targets.
Key policy provisions include:
- Mandatory waste measurement and reporting across all university operations
- Source separation requirements for recyclable materials
- Clear signage and infrastructure for proper waste disposal
- Contractual obligations for service providers to support waste tracking and recycling
- Regular monitoring, data collection, and progress reporting
Indicator 12.3.1 Comprehensive Waste Tracking Systems
Food Waste Measurement and Monitoring
RUTS has implemented systematic food waste tracking across all three campuses, establishing the university as exemplary in waste measurement practices. The tracking system, developed and maintained by the research team including Dr. Wichulada Thavaroj, Ms. Panyaras Luekhajon, and Mrs. Rungtip Wuttanaworakit, provides comprehensive baseline data essential for waste reduction planning and performance monitoring.
Quantitative Performance Metrics
- Daily food waste generation: 0.490 tons (average across all campuses)
- Measurement methodology: Container-based tracking with standardized 0.0168-ton capacity
- Average daily containers: 28 containers across all food service points
- Coverage: 100% of university food service operations across three campuses
- Data collection frequency: Daily tracking with monthly aggregation and analysis
The food waste tracking system employs rigorous quantitative methodologies utilizing service provider collaboration for daily container counts. Standardized measurement protocols ensure consistency across different campus locations and food service operators. Data undergoes regular analysis by research teams, enabling evidence-based decision-making for waste reduction interventions and validation of progress toward SDG 12.3 targets.
General Waste Tracking Infrastructure
Beyond food waste, RUTS maintains comprehensive tracking systems for all waste categories generated across university operations. The integrated waste management system categorizes waste streams according to established standards, ensuring appropriate handling and enabling accurate measurement of recycling performance.
Waste Categories Tracked
- Organic waste (food waste, landscape materials)
- Recyclable materials (paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, metals)
- Electronic waste (computers, equipment, batteries)
- Hazardous materials (chemicals, medical waste from research facilities)
- General refuse (non-recyclable, non-hazardous waste)
Clearly labeled collection containers are distributed strategically across campus facilities, enabling source separation and facilitating accurate tracking. Signage employs visual standards ensuring clarity for students, staff, and visitors. The infrastructure supports both measurement requirements (12.3.1) and recycling optimization (12.3.2), creating an integrated system for waste management excellence.
Indicator 12.3.2: Waste Recycling and Resource Recovery
Recycling Programs and Infrastructure
RUTS has established comprehensive recycling programs maximizing waste diversion from landfills. The university’s approach emphasizes the waste hierarchy principle: reduce, reuse, recycle, with systematic implementation of circular economy concepts across all operations.
Recycling Infrastructure Components
- Multi-stream collection systems with clearly marked bins for different recyclable materials
- Designated collection points for specialized waste streams (electronics, batteries, hazardous materials)
- Partnerships with certified recycling service providers for material processing
- Regular collection schedules ensuring timely removal and preventing overflow
- Quality control measures ensuring contamination-free recyclable streams
Student-Led Recycling Innovation
The Faculty of Fisheries Science and Technology demonstrates recycling excellence through the environmental youth club’s “ไม้กวาดขวดพลาสติก ชุบชีวิตขยะรีไซเคิล” (Plastic Bottle Broom – Reviving Recyclable Waste) initiative. This student-driven program received Gold Standard certification from the Department of Climate Change and Environment’s Green Youth Project 2024 assessment, validating both the innovation quality and measurable waste diversion impact.
The project transforms plastic bottle waste into functional brooms, demonstrating practical circular economy applications. Beyond waste diversion, the initiative generates income for students while providing hands-on experience in waste valorization, product design, and sustainable entrepreneurship. The Gold Standard recognition confirms the project’s contribution to maximizing recycling rates (12.3.2) while building student capacity for sustainability leadership.
Organic Waste Management and Composting
RUTS implements organic waste recycling through composting systems that transform food waste and landscape materials into valuable soil amendments. This approach diverts organic materials from landfills where they would generate methane emissions, instead converting them into resources supporting campus landscaping and academic agricultural programs.
The composting initiative aligns with circular economy principles, closing nutrient loops while reducing the university’s waste footprint. Compost production supports academic programs in agriculture and environmental science, providing hands-on learning opportunities while advancing institutional sustainability goals.
Research and Innovation: Evidence-Based Waste Management
RUTS’s waste management excellence builds upon rigorous research foundations generating knowledge essential for effective intervention design and continuous improvement. Research initiatives provide quantitative evidence supporting policy development, operational decisions, and progress monitoring toward SDG 12.3 targets.
The systematic waste tracking program represents significant research contribution, establishing comprehensive baseline data across multiple waste streams and campus locations. Research methodologies employ quantitative approaches enabling statistical analysis, trend identification, and per capita calculations essential for evidence-based management. Longitudinal data collection supports impact assessment of recycling programs and waste reduction interventions.
The College of Hotel and Tourism contributes research on waste management for sustainable tourism through the project “Crisis to Adaptation: Marine Tourism Development in the Gulf of Thailand-Andaman.” This research explores waste management standards for Green Hotel certification, examining intersections of tourism sustainability, waste reduction, and community engagement. Research findings inform curriculum development while generating knowledge applicable to hospitality and tourism sectors beyond university contexts.
Teaching and Learning: Sustainability Education
RUTS integrates waste management and circular economy principles throughout educational programs, preparing graduates to become change agents for responsible consumption and production. Teaching approaches emphasize experiential learning, enabling students to develop practical competencies through authentic sustainability projects.
The College of Hotel and Tourism incorporates Green Hotel standards into hospitality management curriculum, teaching students about waste management in tourism operations and community engagement for sustainability. Students learn to design tourism experiences minimizing waste while maximizing positive environmental and social impact, preparing them for leadership in sustainable hospitality industry.
The Faculty of Fisheries Science and Technology includes environmental management components in aquaculture and marine science programs. Students study circular economy applications, waste valorization technologies, and sustainable resource management. The environmental club provides structured experiential learning, with students designing and implementing recycling initiatives under faculty guidance from Assistant Professor Nuchanan Nilon. The Gold Standard recognition validates this approach, demonstrating that student projects achieve professional-level impact while developing student competencies for sustainability leadership.
Workshop-based learning provides hands-on experience with waste management best practices and circular economy principles. During training programs conducted September 4-5, 2024, students and community members collaborated in workshops creating value from waste materials, transforming abstract concepts into tangible experiences and practical skills immediately applicable in diverse contexts.
Outreach and Engagement: Community Impact
RUTS actively engages local communities and stakeholders in waste management initiatives, recognizing that achieving ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets requires collaborative action beyond campus boundaries. The university’s outreach strategy emphasizes capacity building, knowledge sharing, and partnership development for systemic sustainability transformation.
The College of Hotel and Tourism exemplifies outreach excellence through comprehensive waste management training programs conducted September 4-5, 2024, under leadership of Assistant Professor Fapailai Thaweesinsopa. This intensive training on “Waste Management for Green Tourism Development” brought together government officials and neighboring community members, featuring expert facilitators including Dr. Janika Saengan Chooklin, Mr. Kattinart Sakulsawatdipant, Dr. Sunyaporn Sotrakul, and Mr. Boonchongrak Jiwtang (Manager of the Royal Initiative Waste and Wastewater Management Technology Transfer Center, Southern Region).
The comprehensive program addressed multiple waste management dimensions including waste in communities and marine environments, source identification and impact assessment, waste categorization methodologies, integrated waste management for tourism destinations, and circular economy principles. The program incorporated hands-on components including beach cleanup volunteer activities and workshops creating value from waste materials, ensuring participants gained practical skills immediately applicable in their contexts.
These outreach activities generate tangible impacts including enhanced community awareness of waste management best practices, increased local capacity for waste sorting and recycling, stronger networks among sustainability practitioners, and replicable models for institutional-community partnerships. The university documents outreach impact through participant numbers, follow-up surveys, and waste reduction metrics in partner communities, demonstrating accountability and enabling continuous program refinement.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Continuous Improvement
RUTS has established robust monitoring and evaluation systems for tracking progress toward waste management targets. The university collects quantitative data on waste generation volumes, composition analysis, recycling rates, and per capita waste generation. Data undergoes regular analysis by research teams, ensuring evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management approaches.
Performance metrics align with THE Impact Rankings indicators 12.3.1 and 12.3.2, enabling the university to demonstrate institutional excellence in waste tracking and recycling while contributing to global sustainability benchmarking. Regular data collection supports identification of trends, assessment of intervention effectiveness, and validation of progress toward waste reduction and recycling targets.
The university reports sustainability performance through multiple channels including annual sustainability reports, SDG progress reports submitted to national and international platforms, academic publications, and public communications. This transparency demonstrates accountability to stakeholders while contributing to broader knowledge sharing on effective institutional waste management practices.
RUTS embraces continuous improvement philosophy, regularly reviewing policies and operations to identify enhancement opportunities. The university engages stakeholders including faculty, students, staff, service providers, and community members in improvement processes, ensuring diverse perspectives inform decision-making. Regular benchmarking against peer institutions and international best practices identifies areas for innovation and excellence.
Impact and Future Directions
Through comprehensive waste tracking systems and active recycling programs, RUTS demonstrates institutional leadership in advancing SDG 12.3. The university meets THE Impact Rankings criteria for both indicator 12.3.1 (comprehensive waste measurement across the institution) and indicator 12.3.2 (maximizing waste diversion through recycling and resource recovery).
Key achievements include systematic food waste tracking providing measurable baseline data (0.490 tons daily), comprehensive waste categorization and measurement infrastructure spanning all campus operations, active recycling programs with student-led innovation receiving Gold Standard recognition, community training programs extending university impact beyond campus boundaries, and integration of waste management principles throughout educational programs.
Future priorities include expanding waste-to-resource conversion systems, achieving higher recycling rates through enhanced source separation and contamination reduction, implementing circular economy principles more comprehensively across all university operations, strengthening regional partnerships for sustainability and waste management innovation, and continuing refinement of governance systems ensuring institutional practices exemplify sustainability principles taught in classrooms and researched in laboratories.
RUTS’s integrated approach to waste tracking and recycling positions the university as a model institution for sustainable waste management, demonstrating how comprehensive measurement systems, active recycling programs, research excellence, educational innovation, and community engagement work synergistically to advance SDG 12.3 and create lasting positive environmental impact.
Related Links:
https://saiyai.rmutsv.ac.th/ruts/2024/07/17/9686/17-07-67
