Increasing rates of convenience food packaging use at HEIs: a case study of the Neelsie student centre, Stellenbosch University

ABSTRACT Food packaging waste from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is a significant management concern. Waste minimisation is critical to reduce the pressures on already stretched municipal infrastructure. This is set against a backdrop of increasing student numbers at HEIs globally, resulting in substantial waste generation. Despite this, little is known about the quantities of packaging waste generated on HEI campuses worldwide. This article presents a local case study of the levels of on-site, take-away packaging waste destined for landfill from Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa. Packaging waste from the Langenhoven Student Centre (known locally as the Neelsie), SU, was quantified and classified in terms of disposal options. The article reports that the vast majority of the 200,000+ beverage cups, 115,000 drinking straws and approximately 200,000 take-away food receptacles sold annually by vendors on campus are plastic packaging. The article explores how the limited disposal options for these items, due to the recyclability/compostability of packaging types and high degree of contamination, leads to this waste being sent to landfill.