Source: ____________________________________________
OVPA Office Memorandum No. 18, Series of 2024 (issued 5 September 2024) institutionalizes campus-wide waste segregation at PUP, operationalizing SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through its Target 12.5 push to reduce waste generation via prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. The memorandum directs all offices to sort waste at source into a color-coded, four-way source separation system grounded in RA 9003 (the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act): recyclables such as glass, aluminum, paper, and cardboard into green bins; compostables like food and garden waste into bags for collection; residuals into red bins; and infectious or biohazard items such as used masks and gloves into yellow bins. By defining recyclable material as waste retrieved from the stream and converted into beneficial new products, the policy embeds material recovery and circular economy thinking into everyday campus routines, while the compostable stream channels food waste and organic matter toward composting rather than disposal.
The scheme's real SDG 12 value lies in enabling downstream recovery: clean source separation keeps recyclables free of contamination so they can re-enter production, diverts organics for composting, and isolates only genuinely non-recyclable residual waste for ecological disposal in a sanitary landfill—advancing resource efficiency and waste diversion from landfill. The accompanying bin-classification guide and visual posters function as sustainability education (Target 12.8), building the sorting literacy that makes recycling and composting work in practice, while the segregation of hazardous and infectious waste reflects the sound waste management that underpins Target 12.4. Anchored in national law and a fixed collection schedule, the memorandum turns responsible consumption and production into a standing operational habit—systematic segregation, recovery, and composting that reduce the University's material footprint and support sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Responsible Consumption and Production
Source: OPVA Office Memo No. 5, Series of 2024
12.2.3 Policy waste disposal - hazardous materials
Responsible Consumption and Production
Source: OPVA Office Memo No. 20, Series of 2024
12.2.5 Policy for minimisation of plastic use
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) implemented a Memorandum, which prohibits the use, sale, and distribution of single-use plastics (SUPs) on weekends starting September 1, 2024. The policy aims to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability in line with national laws and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
All concessionaires are required to shift to eco-friendly alternatives such as paper-based packaging, reusable containers, and bamboo utensils. The policy is monitored by the Single-Use Plastics Committee, with support from various offices and student organizations. PUP also introduced a Rewards and Recognition Program to encourage active participation.
This initiative strengthens the university’s commitment to becoming a zero-plastic waste campus and serves as a model for sustainable environmental practices in higher education.