Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology to transform its 250-acre campus into zero waste ecosystem

Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Patiala (Punjab) will soon become a paradigm of Zero Waste Campus, paving the way for other institutes in the region to adopt a robust Zero Waste Ecosystem.

This 68-year-old pioneering engineering education institute has taken the pledge of becoming a model by walking the talk.

The institute was generating an estimated 3.5 tons of waste on a regular working day. Since the Zero Waste Team’s intervention, about 18 categories of waste have been identified, including biomedical waste, e-waste, battery waste, waste oil, and other waste generated on the campus.

The team, in collaboration with ‘Saahas Zero Waste’, has implemented a comprehensive waste management system, transforming its 250-acre campus into a Zero Waste Ecosystem.

On any given day, the huge campus has 15,000 individuals, which includes about 10,000+ students. The campus houses 48 buildings, including 16 hostels and 16 kitchens. The institute has constituted a Zero Waste Team led by Dr. Anoop Verma, Professor, Department of Energy & Environment.

Over the last six months, TIET has analyzed in detail the waste generated within its campus and identified the gaps that need to be addressed. Through this initiative TIET is now able to completely trace, collect and manage 100% of the waste generated.

Talking about this initiative, Dr. Anoop Verma shared, “Sustainability is the way of life, and future generations should realize this more than anyone else. As educationists, it is our responsibility to inspire them and set new benchmarks for a greener planet. With this vision, we set the ambitious goal of converting our expansive and busy campus into a Zero-waste zone and promoting a zero-waste ecosystem in the entire northern region. Our initiative aims at ensuring that no waste goes into landfills. TIET’s Zero Waste Team has done a tremendous job so far, and we are hopeful that we will achieve this vision very soon. We also intend to motivate a positive behavioral change within the education sector and society through this initiative. The remarkable success owes its success to the steadfast support of Dr. Gurbinder Singh, Registrar, TIET, and the astute guidance and visionary leadership of Prof. Padmakumar Nair, Director, TIET.”

The institute chalked out solutions to address each gap and implemented efficient systems and facilities to tackle waste management.

Designated areas have been earmarked for waste segregation and composting. Segregated waste is directed to specific areas: dry waste to a 3000 sq. ft. Material Recovery Facility (MRF), and wet waste to composting units.

Improvements in composting processes and new strategies for cooked and uncooked waste have been implemented, with plans for dehydrators, composters, or biogas units.

A key part of the new system involved formalizing waste workers as full-time employees of TIET, ensuring compliance with environmental and social regulations. This change has stabilized their work conditions and integrated their efforts with local aggregators and recyclers, enhancing the overall waste management ecosystem.

TIET envisions a globally recognized campus by a) achieving Zero Landfill Waste, ensuring no waste ends up in landfills b) supporting Circular Economy, by recycling campus waste and reinvesting the income in waste management workers, and c) facilitating Decentralized Infrastructure, establishing an MRF and a biogas unit to process waste and generate energy for campus kitchens. While aligning local actions with global environmental goals, TIET’s efforts have been recognized by the local municipal corporation.