Saint Louis University (SLU) has assessed the amount of food waste generated from food served within the university in all its four campuses and its hospital. In partial measurement, an approximate total of 35.0057 tons of waste (recyclable: 1.7799 tons, biodegradable: 6.0007 tons, non-biodegradable: 27.225) were collected from June to September 2025. This reduction displays a remarkable decrease from the previous number of 61.55 tons (recyclable: 3.2659, biodegradable: 9.7192, non-biodegradable: 48.5649) from the same comparative period last year, reflecting a decrease of about 43% revealing better management in administering campus food waste sustainability initiatives aimed at minimizing food and other biodegradable waste.
The Campus Planning, Maintenance, and Security Department’s (CPMSD) janitorial staff collects all organic waste in the whole university daily. The collected waste is brought to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to be stored temporarily. Before storing, the CPMSD weighs and records the waste with proper documentation and monitoring which is then collected by the General Services Office (GSO) to guarantee proper total food waste disposal and responsible waste management.
Under Module 5 of Republic Act No. 9003 Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, all the university’s data on organic waste management are consolidated in the SLU Self-Monitoring Report (SMR), the data is then quarterly submitted by the Pollution Control Officer (PCO) in each campus to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
SLU’s promotion of responsible waste management has garnered measurable results attesting to the university’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) particularly: SDG 2 Zero Hunger, SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being, SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 Climate Action, and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals. (Report and Photos by the SLU CPMSD)
