The Guidelines for the separate collection of packaging waste and other municipal waste in Italian universities were developed in collaboration with the universities participating in the Resources and Waste Working Group of the RUS – Network of Universities for Sustainable Development.

The purpose of the document is to provide accurate and practical information to ensure correct separation of municipal waste, optimising the quality and quantity of separate collection and promoting good waste separation practices both within the university community and among external stakeholders.

The Guidelines identify four macro‑categories of waste generation areas within Italian universities:

• teaching, research and service areas, such as classrooms, libraries, study areas, laboratories and toilets
• recreational areas, such as indoor communal spaces, outdoor areas, sports facilities and shops
• residences
• canteens, including bars, restaurants and cafés

For each area, the main types of expected waste and the appropriate containers for separate collection have been indicated.

This approach allows the document to account for the main waste streams to be collected separately, listing and categorising the different waste fractions generated across university environments, and offering points of attention and improvement, as well as suggestions on how to communicate effectively all necessary information to enable those who use the university campus daily to carry out separate collection correctly. There is also a section on the importance of product composition analyses and on the preparation of monitoring plans to oversee waste management processes.

The Guidelines therefore represent an important social project, since acting on young people and their awareness of sustainability is essential to making them increasingly conscious citizens attentive to protecting the planet’s resources, especially as Italy faces increasingly ambitious circularity targets. It is important that everyone plays their part by separating packaging correctly and consciously for separate collection – not only at home, but also in all professional, cultural and recreational contexts. The Guidelines also reflect the concrete commitment of the university community to help Italy achieve ever higher percentages of waste that avoids landfill and finds a second life.