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Design of a Solid Waste Separation, Valuation and Recycling Centre on a University Campus. Case Study

Abstract:

Waste management is one of the main objectives today as a tool to reduce environmental pollution and ensure the health and well-being of people. The Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) university campus produces around 235.00 tons/year of garbage in Ecuador. In the quest to manage waste, the campus requires an entire infrastructure for its management and sustainable use. This work aims to design a separation, valuation, and recycling centre (SVRC), through technical criteria, for the sustainable management of solid waste. The methodology consists of: i) technical evaluation of the study area to define the SVRC location, ii) design of the collection and transportation route, and iii) architectural, structural, sanitary, and reference budget design of the SVRC. The SVRC structure was designed for an area of 146.37 m2. This civil work will act as a temporary waste collection centre with a processing capacity of 297.00 tons/year and, mainly, will optimize the volume of waste produced on the university campus, promoting reuse and recycling. Eleven internal routes and one main route were designed for garbage transportation. The methodology used in this study contributes to a solution to solid waste management at the level of universities and municipalities, which can be replicated at the national level.