Catch Them Young: Zero Waste & Circular Economy in Campus

Demands of the growing global human population and expectations are increasing to maintain higher standards of living. It highlights how the world population currently consumes more resources than those ecosystems are able to provide. The extraction of natural resources is presently 100 billion tons/year while recycling rate is nearly 8.6%. For social and economic development to be part of the carrying capacity of ecosystems, fundamental changes in production and consumption are needed. This case study of a mission, named, "Catch Them Young: Zero Waste and Circular economy in Campus" has been conceptualised and being implemented in different schools worldwide. The mission focuses to bring a radical change in the behaviour pattern of the students in schools and colleges in waste management, Circular Economy and resource conservation. The teachers are trained who train the students on the mission activities, which involves, rally, oath taking, bin culture adoption for waste segregation, plantation, making recycled products using wastes & exhibiting those & their auction for earning. The mission activity also includes composting the bio degradable wastes in SKG-MCP Micro Composting Plant. Radical change in behaviour has been observed among the students which is the novelty of the mission and the study. By injecting the concepts of circular economy and waste management, nearly 3000 tons of waste could be diverted from landfill by more than 3,50,000 students in 257 schools in India, Georgia and Nepal. This is the first time that the school students are exposed to circular economy concepts and practice day-to-day converting waste to business leading to environmental sustainability.