Waste, Prevention & Reuse

The University of Parma promotes proper waste management in accordance with the principles of the circular economy, prioritizing waste prevention and reduction and waste recovery and reuse.

Through continuous improvement in waste management and prevention, the University of Parma also maintains its commitment to actively work towards the achievement of the goals set out in the “Manifesto of Italian Universities for Sustainability,” approved in Udine on May 30, 2019.

The objectives of the general actions in UniPR are articulated as follows.

Adoption of initiatives for waste prevention at source, plastic free policies and incentives for dematerialization, promotion of reuse of IT materials and reduction of WEEE;

Internal involvement and public engagement for waste prevention and proper waste management.

With regard to increasing sustainability in the area of separate waste collection, the University's desire to improve and strengthen the waste management structure remains of particular importance, with consequent implications on the reduction and more effective sorting of waste assimilated with urban waste.

In the context of special waste, on the other hand, of particular importance is the recent drafting of the “University Regulations for the Management of Special Waste and the Implementation of Principles for Prevention, Reuse and Sustainability,” an act that testifies to the University's growing involvement in the direction of sustainability and introduces specific guidelines for the containment in the production of special waste and the promotion of reuse opportunities.

Reuse is part of the circular economy and is one of the three “R's” along with Reduce and Recycle.

It is about the possibility of reusing objects that have not yet become waste or refuse: by reusing something we have the possibility of not letting it end its life cycle and - at the same time - preventing it from ending up in a landfill.

The Reuse Portal is a system by which the University of Parma divests some furniture, scientific and IT equipment to other public bodies, schools and nonprofit organizations free of charge.

The University of Parma in carrying out its higher education, research and service activities, produces waste annually in different quantities and nature. Depending on the characteristics and activities of origin, the waste produced at the University's sites is divided into two categories, resulting in different management paths:

Waste assimilated to urban

Special wastes.

Waste assimilated to urban waste constitutes the part of waste produced by the University for which regulatory acts do not provide for special collection, storage, transportation and final treatment methods. Waste assimilated to urban waste is by its nature non-hazardous and is delivered by separate collection throughout the Athenaeum. The actual assimilation takes place to urban waste, in terms of quality and quantity, is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Regulations for the Discipline of the Waste Tax TARI and the Regulations of the Urban Waste Management Service of the City of Parma, as provided for in Article 198, paragraph 2, letter g) of Legislative Decree 152/2006.

A significant part of the waste produced in the University's teaching and administrative offices is assimilated to urban waste and delivered by separate collection.

Special waste, not assimilated to urban waste, is typically produced by the University as part of its scientific experimentation activities, carried out for teaching or research purposes.

The main categories of special waste produced by the University are waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), waste from chemical processes, and waste from biological processes and welfare activities.

Specific collection and management methods are provided for special waste, aimed at protecting the safety of the environment and people. In fact, all hazardous waste, identified by the HP codes given in Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1357/2014 of December 18, 2014, and Council Regulation (EU) No. 997/2017 of June 8, 2017, also fall under the category of special waste.

UniPR's strategy in the field of waste management is currently based on the following guidelines:

Remodeling organizational structure of waste collection;

Consolidation of relations with the territorial management company;

Activation of agreements between the University and private-law consortiums operating in the waste recycling sector, for the collection and transportation of special waste and subsequent industrial treatment aimed at transforming waste into resources;

Activation of a centralized University contract for the procurement of special waste management services;

Consolidation of best practices for in-house management of special hazardous waste;

Technical support for University sustainability initiatives and projects;

Therefore, the operational objectives and internal waste management directions are different and mainly aimed at the better organizational arrangement of waste management, with initiatives and projects in favor of sustainability, cost reduction and increasing the University's ability to prevent waste production.

Spent printer toner cartridges are considered special non-hazardous waste and consist of materials that can be highly toxic to the environment if not disposed of properly.

The internal management of toner cartridges is handled through ecoboxes located at all University facilities, and their emptying is organized by filling out and submitting the appropriate forms below.

Waste produced by the University is in some cases published in reports and documents that can be consulted on the following webpage:

https://www.unipr.it/en/node/106455

From 4 to 6 pm, organised by SSU students under the patronage of the University as part of ‘M'illumino di meno’ 2025

https://www.unipr.it/notizie/28-febbraio-riuso-ed-economia-circolare-swap-party-al-chiostro-del-plesso-dazeglio