VSU shifts to proper waste handling system under #LINISVSU program

The Visayas State University (VSU) is now enforcing new campus-wide waste management rules that apply to all students, faculty, staff, residents, and vendors. These  guidelines are part of an ongoing effort to keep the campus clean, safe, and more organized for day-to-day life. 

Leading this change is the revived VSU Solid Waste Management Committee, chaired by Vice President for Administration and Finance (VPAF) Dr. Moises Neil V. Seriño, and co-chaired by Vice President for Planning and Development (VPPD) Dr. Glenn G. Pajares. 

They have taken the lead not only in fine-tuning the guidelines but also in educating the VSU academic community about their importance. 

The university began laying out the program with an initial workshop on April 2, 2025, with Dr. Michal Struk, a visiting expert from Masaryk University, Czech Republic. 

[Also read: #GoingGlobal: International Partner from Czech Republic visits VSU for circular economy talks]

Dr. Struk’s talk offered practical examples from outside the country and opened conversation on how VSU can manage its waste more effectively. 

Following that event, a series of focused lecture-workshops were held to break down how waste should be sorted, packed, and where and when it should be placed for pick-up.

For example, sanitation teams attended sessions on May 14, followed by dorm advisers and occupants on May 28. Vendors and commercial stall operators had their turn on June 3 at the Eco-Farmi Training Hall, where they discussed daily waste schedules and packing rules using color-coded bags. 

Students Take an Active Role Through UISB Waste Agreement

A day before the initial transmittal of waste to Baybay City, another meaning step took place with VSU students. 

On April 1, 2025, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services (OVPSAS) led by Vice President Dr. Aleli A. Villocino, signed a supplementary waste management agreement with the University Inter-Dormitory Student Body (UISB). 

Through this agreement, UISB acknowledged the everyday role dorm occupants play in keeping their living spaces clean, and agreed to take part in a more organized approach to sorting and disposing trash. 

The agreement builds on the Waste Management Program already rolled out by OVPAF and expands its reach across the dormitories. 

What goes out and when? 

Everyone is expected to follow the waste code system that sorts into clearer categories: residuals like plastics, styrofoams, and packaging, paper materials such as scratch papers and boxes/cartons, recyclables like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, cans, and old clothing, and biodegradable waste including kitchen scraps and dried leaves. 

This sorting must be done before collection hours, which begin at 8:00 AM, from Monday to Saturday: 

For vendors and commercial tenants, collection starts at 10:00 AM daily for residuals and biodegradables, while paper and PET wastes are picked up on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 AM, respectively. 

Both the Flower and Garden Show, and the Food Bazaar, held as part of annual celebration of the founding anniversary of VSU, were asked to follow the new guidelines, proving that the system can scale during busy events without sacrificing orders. 

First transmittal to Baybay City Landfill Marks New Chapter

VSU made its first official delivery of residual waste to Baybay City General Services, who then transported it to the city’s sanitary landfill. 

This was done through the university’s project called Leveraging Integrated Waste Management System to Nurturing Integrity and Sustainability of VSU’s Ecosystem or LINIS VSU, a waste initiative spearheaded by the Solid Waste Management Committee. 

The transmittal represents a turning point in how the university handles its daily waste. It also signals VSU’s formal participation in Baybay City's regulated waste disposal system, replacing previous stopgap methods with a more structured and accountable process.

By joining the city’s formal waste disposal chain, the university can make sure that what it throws away is handled properly, and not just dumped anywhere or burned irresponsibly. 

That handoff, simple as it may seem, shows that VSU is now part of something larger. Managing waste is no longer just a university matter, it is linked with the wider system of Baybay City. 

Through these steps, VSU is choosing to treat waste management not as a one-off campaign hit as a responsibility. 

Students sort their trash in their respective dorms. Vendors bag their leftovers correctly. Offices stack paper in cartons on the right day. And when all of those small things are done right, the results can be seen across the campus: fewer piles of garbage, better smells, safer spaces, and a stronger sense of accountability. 

“We all live here. That means we all clean here too,” Dr, Seriño once said during one of the workshops.

This article is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and; SDG 13: Climate Action.

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