Mexican educational institutions and waste management programmes: a University case study

摘要

Unlike most developed counties, Mexico has inadequate, enacted legislation and similarly ineffective regulation regimes, to cover the majority of current, key waste management issues. Because of this, an opportunity has been lost to drive the sustainable waste management agenda through the engagement of industry, commerce and the general public. To encourage the widespread adoption of sustainable practice, the educational system in Mexico needs to become pro-active and develop a range of suitable programmes for students at all levels. It must be acknowledged that there are a number of key barriers to the development of such sustainability-based programmes. Central and local authorities rarely have the knowledge base required to facilitate such developments and this added to internal organisational problems within institutions means that developments in new, multi-disciplinary areas are given low priority. This paper describes a case study of the development of a solid waste management programme in the University of Baja California-this is unique within Mexico.