Nowadays the usage of source separation waste collection system is essential for all organisations. However, in Estonia, most of the educational establishments have not yet introduced waste sorting systems. This paper describes a case of introduction of such a system at a university of applied sciences (UAS) in Tallinn. The UAS is situated in the centre of the city, has over 2,500 students and about 190 staff members.

The project started in September 2015 and was executed by the Chair of Environmental Technology with major input from the students of the chair. The main goals of the project were to reduce the number of waste bins in the UAS, reduce the amount of unsorted household waste and inform the school community about the significance of waste sorting and relevant environmental matters.

The first step of the project was to execute a full waste audit in UAS to identify precise waste quantities which occurred on daily basis. During the week the environmental technology students weighed and sorted all the waste in all premises of the UAS.

Second step was to create a new waste collection system. Based on the collected data, the new system comprised of 19 waste collection points with sorting instructions and adequate volume. The custom design of the sorting bins was elaborated by the project team with involvement of specialists from Architecture institute. The total number of waste bins was reduced by 46% and mixed household waste bins by 72%. The school community was informed about the new arrangements.

The final step was the second waste audit carried out in the spring of 2016 to analyse the efficiency of the new waste collection arrangements. Results showed that the new system was well accepted and 79% of waste was sorted and collected in the new waste collection points.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/enviro.2017.059