Universitas Andalas Introduces TOSS Waste Processing Method to Hasanuddin University in Support of SDG 11 and SDG 12

Universitas Andalas introduced its waste management approach based on the Teknologi Olah Sampah di Sumbernya (TOSS) method to the academic community of Hasanuddin University in Makassar as part of efforts to promote more sustainable campus waste management. The initiative is closely related to SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, as it highlights practical strategies for reducing waste at the source and turning it into useful resources.

According to the report published on October 31, 2023, the knowledge-sharing activity was led by Fadjar Goembira, Coordinator for Energy and Climate Change of the Green Campus Team at Universitas Andalas. He explained that Universitas Andalas shared its experience with Hasanuddin University regarding waste treatment using the TOSS method, which has already been applied on the Universitas Andalas campus.

Fadjar noted that the initiative was driven by the continuing reality that waste management in many places, including universities, still ends at final disposal sites. He also pointed out that many landfills in Indonesia are no longer able to accommodate the growing volume of waste generated from households, government institutions, campuses, and other sources. In this context, he stressed that both organic and non-organic waste still hold potential to be processed into renewable energy sources or other useful products that can support daily activities.

He further emphasized that universities are strategic places to start such transformation because campuses function as spaces for learning and public education. For that reason, Universitas Andalas considered it important to introduce TOSS to Hasanuddin University so that waste management could begin from the campus environment and become an educational model for broader society. At present, the TOSS implementation at Universitas Andalas is still focused on organic waste, although the university does not rule out future development toward non-organic waste management as well.

The introduction of the method was also described as being in line with Hasanuddin University’s target of achieving zero waste in 2024. As a follow-up, the two institutions are expected to formalize cooperation on waste management using the TOSS method. Under the proposed scheme, organic waste generated at Hasanuddin University would be distributed to a cement factory in South Sulawesi as an alternative fuel source. This mirrors the practice already applied by Universitas Andalas, which processes organic waste through TOSS and then distributes it to PT Semen Padang as a substitute for coal.

Overall, the initiative reflects how collaboration among universities can strengthen practical environmental solutions through the exchange of tested approaches and local experience. By introducing TOSS to another major campus, Universitas Andalas reaffirmed its role in encouraging more sustainable waste management systems that not only reduce landfill dependence, but also create added value from waste through renewable resource use.