UNNES Strengthens Waste Monitoring to Reduce Landfill Disposal
SEMARANG – Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) has established a campus-wide waste management policy that requires each university unit to sort, monitor, and report its waste. Through Circular Letter No. B/28401/UN37/RT.02/2024 on the Obligation of Waste Recycling within UNNES, the university sets out procedures for managing organic, inorganic, and hazardous and toxic waste (B3), with the aim of reducing waste sent to landfills.
UNNES provide for each faculty and administrative unit is required to separate waste and report its management to the Conservation Development Unit. The policy also supports the measurement of recycling performance through waste weighing, data recording, and periodic reporting. These procedures provide a basis for tracking how much waste is generated, recycled, and diverted from landfill disposal.The policy requires every academic and administrative unit to classify waste into organic, inorganic, and B3 (hazardous and toxic materials) categories.
Tracking Waste Generation and Processing
In 2025, UNNES recorded 4,275 tons of organic waste, comprising 4,217 tons of leaf waste, 36 tons of food scraps, and 22 tons of other organic materials. According to the reported figures, 4,211 tons of leaf waste were processed into compost, while food scraps were used as feed for black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, commonly known as maggots. The remaining 22 tons of other organic waste were reportedly processed through an incinerator.
The university also manages inorganic waste through recycling and material recovery. In 2025, 7.83 tons of hard plastic and 26.89 tons of soft plastic were shredded and sold as raw materials for recycling. Meanwhile, 7.83 tons of paper waste were sent to PT Pura Nusapersada in Kudus for recycling into paper products.
These activities form part of UNNES’s integrated waste management system, which processes organic materials into compost and maggot feed while directing recyclable materials to recycling partners. The university’s Integrated Waste Management Site (TPST), managed by the Conservation Development Unit, supports these activities and helps reduce the amount of waste requiring final disposal.
Measuring Waste Sent to Landfills
Measuring the amount of waste generated and processed is important for assessing how much waste is diverted from landfill disposal. UNNES’s published waste management policy describes a system of weighing recyclable materials, recording the results, and compiling periodic reports to evaluate changes in waste volume.
UNNES has also reported that it stopped sending campus waste to municipal landfills in 2020. This claim should be supported by current waste disposal records or confirmation from the university’s Conservation Development Unit, particularly to establish whether the practice has continued across all waste categories.
To strengthen the monitoring system, waste records should distinguish between the total waste generated, the amount recycled or processed on campus, the amount transferred to third-party recycling facilities, and any residual waste sent for final disposal. Such records would allow the university to report landfill diversion more clearly and assess progress over time.
Through its waste management policy and processing facilities, UNNES seeks to reduce waste disposal impacts and improve resource recovery. Regular measurement and reporting, supported by consistent records from each university unit, are essential to demonstrating the extent of this progress.