Municipal waste
Description
Quantity of municipal waste, total and by fractions, generated in the different UB centers. These statistics include both the daily kilograms generated from each fraction, as well as the overall percentage of the selective collection fractions (organic waste, paper/paperboard, packaging and glass).
| Indicator | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest | 1.043 | 2.004 | 2.877 | 2.608 | 2.604 |  |
| Organic material | 328 | 471 | 769 | 654 | 712 |  |
| Paper/cardboard | 641 | 1.367 | 1.494 | 1.347 | 1.378 | |
| Lightweight packaging | 109 | 197 | 219 | 250 | 274 | |
| Glass | 317 | 576 | 619 | 630 | 637 | |
| TOTAL | 2.438 | 4.615 | 5.978 | 5.490 | 5.604 |  |
| Selective collection (%) | 57,2 | 56,6 | 51,9 | 52,5 | 53,5 | |
Results
Between 1998 and 2009, the UB experienced a significant improvement in the recovery of raw materials and the saving of natural resources involved in waste recycling. Thus, if in 1998 only paper was collected separately, and up to 86% of the waste was dumped mixed in the waste fraction, in 2010 60% of the municipal waste generated at the UB was already recycled. Between 2010 and 2014 there was a reduction in the amount of waste generated, reaching 5.5 tons per day. Part of this reduction is explained by a change in the methodology for calculating the waste generated.
From 2015 the total quantity decreased from 6.1 to 5.5 tons per day. By fractions:
- paper-cardboard is around 1.5 tons per day,
- organic matter is around 0.75 tons per day,
- lightweight packaging is around 250 kg per day, with a slight increase,
- glass has been increasing, from 400-500 kg per day, to more than 600.
From 2022, waste from the rest and paper-cardboard fractions that are managed by authorized managers, differently from municipal collection, have been incorporated into the statistics. This negatively affects the total waste generated, which increased compared to the previous years, and reduces the proportion of waste collected selectively, since the increase is concentrated in the remaining fraction.
Selective collection, despite this impact on the statistical series, has been improving progressively, and stands at 53% in 2024. Most of the selection corresponds to paper-cardboard (25% by weight of total municipal waste), which is the predominant waste at the University, but the organic matter fraction (13%) is also very significant. The light packaging (5%) and glass (11%) fractions are more minor.
The data for 2020 were estimated from 2019 values, taking into account the period of closure of activity and progressive reinstatement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2021 was also affected by the pandemic, with restoration and reprography services closed until September.
Charts
Hazardous Waste
Description
Quantity of special waste produced by the laboratories of the different UB centers, expressed in kilograms, and managed by companies authorized by the Waste Agency of Catalonia.
Included in this statistic are chemical waste (liquid and solid), healthcare waste (biohazardous and cytotoxic), and experimental animal waste generated in Animal Experimentation Units, although the latter are not classified as hazardous.
| Indicator | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total amount | 54.930 | 81.608 | 73.725 | 91.756 | 91.442 | |
| Chemical waste | 32.954 | 53.287 | 51.969 | 62.364 | 57.634 | |
| Sanitary waste | 14.989 | 18.610 | 15.374 | 21.834 | 24.586 | |
| Animal waste | 6.987 | 9.711 | 6.382 | 7.935 | 9.222 | |
Results
The indicator showed a decline of close to 7% between 2010 and 2013, due, on the one hand, to the completion of research projects and the lack of new funding for R&D&I activity, but also to the fact that actions were implemented to prevent the generation of special waste.
Between 2013 and 2015, a new 13% increase was detected, caused by the increase in sanitary waste. In fact, during this period, chemical waste decreased by 11.6%, while sanitary waste increased by 48%. This increase is associated with the start-up of new laboratories belonging to external institutions which, by working in UB facilities, have a significant impact on the total volume of special waste.
Since 2015, the total amount has remained more or less stable, but each type of waste has behaved differently: chemicals and animals fluctuate, and sanitary waste has increased progressively. Waste production in 2020 decreased by nearly 38% as a result of the temporary closure of buildings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A new upswing is detected in 2023 and 2024, due to the increase in research activity at the UB.
By center, the main generators are the Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, and the Bellvitge Campus, which together account for 80% of total generation. Adding the Faculty of Biology, the proportion almost reaches 90%.
Charts
Other waste
Description
Quantity of special municipal waste (electronic equipment fractions, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and ink cartridges and toners), collected separately at the UB’s different centres.
| Indicator | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic equipment (kg) | 10.923 | 19.483 | 15.155 | 12.844 | 22.393 | |
| Batteries (kg) | 278 | 555 | 197 | 717 | 2.500 | |
| Fluorescent (kg) | 1.233 | 1.502 | 1.424 | 867 | 4.032 | |
| Ink cartridges and toners (kg) | s.d. | 341 | 807 | 785 | 878 | |
Results
The waste included in this section shows a variable trend, as detailed below:
- Electronic equipment. There is a significant year-on-year variation, as there is no regularity in collections and the waste is centralised and stored for a period of time while waiting to be collected. In 2015 and 2017, there were two re-stockings, which coincided with an important campaign to replace the rental equipment. Between 2018 and 2020 the amount of waste managed will be around 10 tonnes. In 2021 and 2024, the amount managed will increase again to around 20 tons, either by carrying out collections in some centers that had stored material for a few years, or by renewing work equipment.
- Batteries. As with electronic equipment, the collection of batteries is not periodic, and this explains the variation in the quantities generated from year to year. In 2024, a significant increase is recorded due to a change in the data source.
- Fluorescents. Since the second half of 2008, UB faculties and schools have been integrated into the system for the management of lamp waste, with their own containers and the fact that all the fluorescent bulbs generated are collected by one of the companies authorised by the Catalan Waste Agency. A progressive reduction is expected as the luminaires become LED-type, with a longer useful life, although in 2024 there will be a significant increase due to the generation of fluorescent lamps derived from this replacement intervention throughout the UB.
- Ink cartridges and toners. It includes data on equipment toner waste in the UB’s administrative units and the reprographic services of each centre. The management procedure for this waste was consolidated and stabilized, with an annual amount collected between 2.1 and 2.5 tons. The entry into operation of the printing contract in 2020, which entails a reduction in the number of equipment, a standardization of consumables and the impossibility of acting as a collection point for waste generated by the university community outside the UB buildings, generates a significant decrease in this type of waste.