Assessing the Quantity of Solid Waste Produced in Kermanshah School of Public Health: Challenges and Suggestions

 Determining and recognizing solid waste composition can be considered as the first and main step in planning and developing waste management processes in an area.

 The objective of this study was to investigate the production and determination of waste composition in Kermanshah School of Public Health, and evaluate the challenges ahead and present practical suggestions based on results for better solid waste management.

 Collection, separation, and weight measurement of solid wastes in the school of Public Health, and departments such as self-service, laboratories, buffet, office, and yard, were done during a working week from Saturday to Wednesday. Then the results and data were analyzed using Excel software version 2019.

 The results of data analysis, after collecting, separating, and weighing each solid waste component revealed that food waste accounts for 48% of the total solid waste production. Also, other waste components include 32% plastic, 14% paper and cardboard, 6% garden waste, and nearly 0% glass and metals, together comprising an average amount of waste produced daily from Saturday to Wednesday during a week. It was also found that the generated waste per capita was 104.29 grams per person per day. The highest and lowest amount of generated waste per capita was related to food waste with 49.45 grams per day and metal waste with 0.17 grams per day, respectively.

 Due to the predominant percentage of organic matter and the small portion of the glass and metal waste in the composition of waste produced in the school, the application of compost production methods seems to be a justifiable and economical way to dispose of the waste generated in the School of Public Health. Also, the presence of paper, cardboard, and plastic in the mentioned quantities warns us to pay attention to the recycling programs from the source.