Solid Waste Management: Classification and Public Perception on Management Options at Applied Science University

The recycling and management of the growing amounts of solid waste have become a major challenge in many communities, mainly in the developing countries. Solid waste management can be at different levels, from households to local bodies, such as educational institutions and municipalities. Solid waste recycling can be a valuable resource, contributing to generated income in marginal communities as well as in high-income communities. Solid waste management can go through a series of activities, which are included in the three R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Public participation and willingness towards solid waste management are key issues to have successful integrated solid waste management. In this study, solid waste generated in an educational institution is analyzed and segregated and management options are investigated. A survey among the students in this institution is performed; the survey is to find the degree of awareness of solid waste management and knowledge on environmental consequences of improper management of solid waste. The study was carried out in the Applied Science University campus, which is located in the northern part of the Jordanian Capital Amman. The daily solid waste generation rate per student during the study varied from 0.02 kg to 0.09 kg with an average of 0.05 kg. The percentages of different types of solid waste show that the highest percentage is for paper and cardboard (40.0%), while the organic constituent in the solid waste is minimal for the student building and other waste types form 13.7%, including organic, glass and other non-recyclable materials. Results related to the knowledge on solid waste management show that most of the students do not have knowledge on solid waste handling and management. More than 80% of the students do not have information on solid waste management, while about two thirds don't know how wastes are collected and dumped. About half of the respondents have information on how to minimize solid waste generated at house level. On the other hand, about half of the respondents know about solid waste segregation and 80% of them support doing this in the house. The results of the survey on seriousness of some issues related to solid waste management show that the seriousness rate is high to very high (4.2 to 4.5 out of 5).