Makerere University In Waste Awareness Week 2017

As part of the collaboration between Bangor University, UK and Makerere University to promote sustainable development at Makerere University and its community, Sustainability Lab, Bangor and the Sustainability Program, Makerere are joining hands to introduce the Waste Awareness Week scheduled to take place from Monday 2^nd October to Friday 6^th October 2017. It is aimed at improving waste management within the University and this will be under the theme,” Sustainable Waste Management at Makerere University.”

The Waste Awareness Week will engage students who will take the lead and run activities throughout the week to promote sustainable waste management as an action towards combating climate change. The activities will focus on 4 major aspects of reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, reuse and recycling of waste in Makerere University.

This is in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 of ‘Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns,’ focusing on target 5 that states, ‘By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.’ Makerere University as one of Africa’s leading institutions is perfectly positioned to take the lead in making a reasonable contribution to realize the achievement of this goal.

The students will take the lead in creating awareness under this theme and will engage fellow students and staff learning about the need to engage in prevention, reduction, and reuse and recycling of waste, and then collect their views and ideas about their thoughts about sustainable waste management within Makerere University. The results of the Waste Awareness Week will be a precursor for developing the waste management strategy for the University.

The format of engagement for the upcoming Waste Awareness Week will include working with students to use placards to display waste messages and pictures at strategic locations within the University, social media campaign, liter picking within the University, putting waste management stickers on designated places, pictorial presentation of the University waste management to Management and exhibition of waste-recycled items. For the halls of residence, activities will involve collecting stories through interviews and setting up a photo booth.

The waste awareness week is organized by the Sustainability Program coordinated by the Planning & Development Department in collaboration with the Estates & Works Department, Students Sustainability Action Group (SSAG), the Student Guild-Ministry of Estates & Environment (83^rd Guild) and Makerere University Waste Management Research Association (MUWMRA); supported by the Sustainability Lab, Bangor University and Hub Cymru Africa.