Waste Management
Waste Management
To ensure effective waste recycling, MCUT has implemented measures to manage, reward, and penalize the income from resource recycling and sales. These measures aim to encourage faculty, students, recycling and waste disposal vendors, and cleaning teams in New Taipei City to actively promote mandatory waste classification, waste reduction, and resource recycling. This effort will help achieve a sustainable circulation of resources. The primary waste sources at MCUT are general waste and laboratory waste. To effectively manage and maintain campus safety, MCUT has installed an environmental management system along with pollution prevention and control facilities in accordance with relevant environmental protection laws and regulations. This is designed to monitor the operation and volume of laboratory waste liquids and to prevent accidents or pollution.
General Waste Management
We employ two primary methods to ensure effective waste treatment: incineration and resource recycling. MCUT collaborates with contracted vendors to regularly clear and transport waste to incineration plants in New Taipei City for non-recyclable waste, ensuring safe and environmentally friendly disposal. For recyclable materials, our cleaning staffs first classify them and then use dedicated recycling vehicles to transport these materials to the resource recycling center for sale. To further enhance the benefits of waste recycling, the Office of General Affairs uses income from resource recycling to purchase recycling facilities and reward classes that excel in classroom cleaning competitions. These competitions not only encourage students to actively participate in resource recycling but also contribute to the ongoing improvement of the campus environment.
Starting in 2022, we began intensively recycling used batteries to reclaim valuable resources and reduce the risk of fire or explosion. This effort is vital to prevent hazardous incidents that may arise when waste batteries are mistakenly mixed with general refuse and placed in garbage trucks, where they can be compressed, squeezed, or create friction.
The kitchen waste produced by the No. 1 and No. 2 restaurants on campus amounted to 34.39 tons per year and 20.63 tons per year, respectively. Together, the two restaurants generated a total of 55.02 tons per year of kitchen waste, including leftovers, vegetable leaves, peels, food residues, and other related materials. The restaurants work with vendors to recycle kitchen waste, ensuring it is processed and reused effectively, which helps reduce negative impacts on the environment.
Industrial Waste Treatment (Laboratory Waste Liquid)
MCUT has established the Safety and Health and Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Committee to oversee the management of laboratory waste and toxic substances. Furthermore, MCUT has handled and disposed of these substances in accordance with the provisions of the Waste Disposal Act and the 'Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act for Academic Institutions.' To manage liquid laboratory waste, MCUT has implemented the 'Campus Hazardous Industrial Waste Control System' to effectively monitor operational status and waste quantity, thereby mitigating the risk of accidents or pollution. A key part of our approach is promoting measures such as waste reduction at the source of chemical usage and allocation in order to minimize expiration and waste of chemicals, demonstrating our commitment to environmental sustainability.
Laboratory waste liquid is categorized as general industrial waste (category D) and hazardous industrial waste (category C) based on its characteristics. When the storage barrels in each laboratory reach approximately 80% of their full capacity, the relevant personnel will arrange for these barrels to be transported to MCUT's temporary waste liquid storage yard. To ensure the proper temporary storage of laboratory waste liquid, a 24-hour combustible gas detection and monitoring system, along with explosion-proof exhaust fans that operate at fixed intervals, has been installed in the temporary storage yard to prevent the accumulation of flammable gases and minimize storage risks. All laboratory waste liquid stored at MCUT is entrusted annually to qualified clearing and treatment practitioners for delivery to National Cheng Kung University for processing. During the treatment process, no hazardous gases, solids, or liquids are emitted or discharged, ensuring the proper handling of laboratory waste.