What inspired KAUST to commit to achieving Zero Waste on the campus? Who or what’s the team behind the programme? 

KAUST’s commitment to achieving Zero Waste stems from its founding vision of environmental stewardship and its role as a model of sustainability and innovation for the Kingdom and the world. Upon inauguration, KAUST became the largest LEED Platinum-certified campus in the world, underscoring our dedication to resource optimization and sustainable operations from the outset. In waste management, KAUST was among the first large-scale developments in Saudi Arabia to implement a fully integrated system, including recycling, at a time when national waste infrastructure was still in its early stages.

Today, the national landscape is evolving rapidly. As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to recycle 42% of its municipal solid waste by 2030, and the city of Riyadh is set for an ambitious diversion target of 94% by 2035. At KAUST, we are actively contributing to these national ambitions. In 2024, over 59% of all solid waste generated on our campus and in the community was diverted from landfill through a combination of recycling, composting, and reuse strategies. 

This progress is the result of a collective community effort and is powered by the dedication of our Campus & Community Waste Management team and their contractors. These teams manage the infrastructure, collection systems, partnerships, and education campaigns that bring our waste strategy to life. Their work is critical to realizing the waste management goals outlined in KAUST’s Sustainability Vision and Policy, which prioritizes resource efficiency, circularity, and environmental stewardship as institutional cornerstones.

Could you elaborate on the specific waste management programmes and strategies the university has implemented to promote waste elimination, reduction, reuse and recycling?

KAUST’s waste strategy integrates elimination, reduction, reuse, and recycling, supported by strong collection systems and active community engagement. In 2024, we processed over 8,400 tons of municipal solid waste, with recycling and composting significantly reducing landfill dependence. We also achieved a 7% reduction in total waste generation compared to the previous year—an outcome driven by a series of awareness campaigns and behavior-change initiatives across campus.

For example, KAUST was the first location in the Tamimi supermarket chain across the Kingdom to ban plastic bags at checkout counters—an initiative that has contributed to reducing single-use plastics within the community. A reusable container program was also launched at the campus diner to minimize single-use food packaging.

As part of our composting efforts, the resident composting program allows community members to register and compost household organic waste using designated food waste bins, supporting the production of high-quality compost on site.

On the recycling front—covering cardboard, plastics, metals, e-waste, and oils—our Reuse and Recycling Center gathers recyclables collected from both the academic campus and residential areas. In 2024, KAUST recovered 228 tons of cardboard, 48 tons of plastics, 62 tons of ferrous metals, over 11,000 liters of used oil, and 34 tons of e-waste, which were all sent for processing through certified downstream partners. 

Lastly, action groups such as the Precious Plastic KAUST, led by local community members, raise awareness about plastic pollution and demonstrate how discarded plastics can be reused and upcycled into functional or artistic items. 

Are there any student-led innovations or entrepreneurial ventures linked to this programme? Please share more details 

Yes, KAUST’s innovation ecosystem has nurtured several student- and alumni-led ventures that are helping redefine waste management and resource circularity across the Kingdom.

One of the most prominent examples is Edama Organic Solutions, a startup founded by KAUST students to transform organic waste into compost for arid and sandy soils. Edama established its first industrial pilot facility at KAUST, which became the first full-scale composting plant in Saudi Arabia. The facility processes organic waste from campus into high-quality compost that is then used for local landscaping. Due to their success, Edama is now part of Yadoum, a subsidiary of the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC) and is working with other municipalities and organizations across the Kingdom to help scale organic waste diversion and soil restoration projects​.

Another KAUST spin-off founded by a KAUST faculty and alumni, Terraxy, focuses on desert agriculture and land restoration. It developed SandX and CarboSoil, two soil amendment technologies that enhance soil fertility, moisture retention, and carbon sequestration in degraded lands. Their CarboSoil biochar is made from poultry manure and other organic waste streams, and can be used for both soil improvement and carbon sequestration. They are currently scaling their operations through partnerships across the Kingdom, contributing to food security and ecosystem regeneration​.

In the field of bioplastics, Polymeron, founded by KAUST alumni, is tackling plastic pollution by converting agricultural and food waste—such as date pits and poultry byproducts—into biodegradable plastic alternatives. 

Can you share any notable achievements or data points that highlight the progress of the university’s waste management journey? 

KAUST has made steady and measurable progress in advancing its waste management goals. Since 2021, the campus has more than septupled the volume of waste diverted from landfill through recycling and composting—representing a 620% increase in resource recovery over four years. During the same period, landfilled waste decreased by nearly 50%, underscoring the impact of community engagement, infrastructure upgrades, and the continued expansion of our on-site composting system.

A key driver of this success has been our composting program. All food-generating retail outlets now actively participate by separating food waste at the source within their kitchens and restaurants. In parallel, a majority of KAUST residents have voluntarily registered for the residential composting program and are effectively separating food waste at home. As a result, the contamination rate in food waste bins remains well below 10%, indicating strong community awareness and participation.

On the landscaping side, all gardening waste is segregated at the source, thanks to the diligent efforts of our gardening team. Their work has resulted in contamination levels of less than 3%, which is an exceptional achievement.

In addition, KAUST operates a dedicated program for the collection of used cooking oil from both food outlets and residential homes. Residents are provided with specially designed containers to safely store used oil. Once full, they can easily request collection by the Waste Management team. This initiative not only ensures the safe handling of household waste but also contributes to our broader resource recovery and recycling objectives.

“KAUST’s innovation ecosystem has nurtured several student- and alumni-led ventures that are helping redefine waste management and resourcecircularity across the Kingdom.

In what ways does KAUST engage with the community to encourage participation in waste reduction and recycling efforts?

Community engagement is an important pillar of our approach to waste reduction and improved recycling efforts. A leading example is our Thrift Shop – Second Chance, a community-led initiative that encourages reuse and reduces landfill waste by giving items a new life. Founded in 2021, the shop was established to make reuse simple, accessible, and rewarding. Since then, it has enabled the reuse of over 25,000 items, including clothing, toys, books, electronics, homeware, and sports equipment. In 2024 alone, 4,808 items were sold for symbolic prices, with many more given away for free. The shop is entirely volunteer-run, and all money gathered is donated for different social causes, making the shop a local circular solution and a hub of community connection and social responsibility.

The University also partners with The KAUST School (TKS) to integrate waste literacy into educational experiences. This includes recycling workshops, school-led collection drives, and interactive campaigns designed to instill environmental responsibility from an early age.

At both the academic campus and TKS, we also actively cultivate a culture that discourages the use of single-use plastic water bottles. To support this initiative, we’ve ensured that water fountains are conveniently located across all buildings, making it easy for students, staff, and visitors to refill their reusable water bottles. 

What are some of the significant challenges you have faced in implementing waste management programmes, and how have you addressed them?​ 

While 2024 marked a year of strong progress in KAUST’s waste management efforts—with a 4% increase in recycling rates and a 7% reduction in total waste generation—several challenges remain that require continuous attention and improvement.
According to an in-house waste characterization study, one of the key areas for improvement is organic waste recovery. Although our composting program has grown significantly, food waste recovery from our residential community is still in the range of 40–45%, indicating that a substantial portion of organic material is still being sent to landfill. But we are confident that with continuous awareness, outreach and improved downstream waste sorting we will be able to reduce this significantly.   

Another challenge lies in the efficiency of recyclable material recovery. Around 3–5% (out of total MSW weight) of recyclables remain unrecovered, primarily due to contamination and limitations in downstream sorting. This highlights the importance of both better source separation and the improvement of our sorting infrastructure, as even small percentages of unrecovered recyclables can significantly impact overall diversion rates when dealing with thousands of tonnes of material.

Together, these challenges underscore the need for continued operational improvement, staff training, community education, and data-driven planning. 

Going forward, what new initiatives are planned to further enhance waste management on the campus?​ 

A major focus is the expansion of our composting program, with efforts to increase resident participation and collaborate with partners to eliminate the landfilling of organic waste. Building on the success of our on-site composting facility, this initiative aims to maximize recovery from one of our largest waste streams. In parallel, we are planning the development of a new sorting facility to enable more precise material separation, improve recovery rates, and reduce contamination—directly supporting our zero waste goal.

On the community side, initiatives such as the Waste to Art program and events held during international celebration days—like World Environment Day and Earth Day—will continue to raise awareness about creative waste reuse, pollution prevention and waste reduction, while promoting more responsible disposal behaviors.

To expand our impact to the national level, KAUST has recently entered a strategic partnership with the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), to accelerate R&D in waste management and recycling technologies. The agreement supports Saudi Arabia’s net-zero emissions target by 2060, and aligns with the Saudi Green Initiative by focusing on reducing landfill dependency and creating new investment opportunities in the recycling sector. The new SIRCularity Applied Solutions Center will drive innovation in areas such as lithium battery recycling, organic waste conversion, and mining waste treatment.