Solid Waste Generation and its Characterisation: A Case Study at the Cafeteria of UTHM Pagoh Residential College

Abstract

In Malaysia, the increasing amount of solid waste over the years has started to become a major concern among the
government and stakeholders. This is because improper solid waste management can lead to serious environmental
hazards and social problems such as gas emissions from landfills, climate change, safety and health issues.
Educational institutions have been identified as one of the major contributors in achieving sustainable development.
This is because universities have moral and ethical obligations to act responsibly towards the environment and
society. Many research studies have been conducted throughout the world on SWM in educational institutions. As
UTHM Pagoh Residential College is situated on a new campus, it is important to create a waste profiling baseline in
order to determine the best approach for implementing a waste management system. From the study, it was found
that the three highest waste composition generated by the cafeteria of UTHM Pagoh Residential College consisted of
food waste, general waste and plastic waste. From the observations made by the researchers, it can be said that low
awareness among the community of the UTHM Pagoh Residential College also contributed to the high composition
of general waste and plastic waste. For the sake of convenience, the community preferred to use single-use plastic
for take away food and refuse to do waste separation as the recycle bins were located far away from their rooms.