Waste and water management

Waste management

Measures to reduce waste

A reduction in generated waste always takes precedence over recycling. Therefore, we strive to minimize the amount of waste on campus.

Cloth towels: Transitioning to the use of cloth towels in restroom facilities has significantly reduced waste.
Posters: Posters hung on campus require approval and are only allowed in moderate quantities.
Flyers: Distributing flyers is now rarely approved to decrease their dissemination and printing.
Digitalization: Transition from paper-based requests to e-forms in administration. Switching the invoicing system to software.
Plastic water bottles: Water dispensers in the cafeteria to reduce the use of water bottles.
Office supplies: Plastic-free shipping is implemented, and orders are only processed for quantities exceeding €25 to save on packaging materials.
Printing: Printers are preset for double-sided and black-and-white printing.
Cafeteria and mensa: The Studentenwerk is actively involved and reduces waste wherever possible. For more information, visit the website of the Studentenwerk.

Waste separation

Waste separation is crucial for:

Recycling: Efficient reuse of materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal.
Resource conservation: Reduces the need for fresh raw materials and minimizes environmental impact.
Environmental protection: Removes harmful substances from waste.
Waste reduction: Lowers the overall volume of household waste and reduces disposal costs.
Energy savings: Promotes the production of products from recycled materials with lower energy consumption.

According to the Passau system, waste separation on campus and in offices includes:

General waste
Paper waste
Special waste (glass, styrofoam, green waste, metal and wood, IT devices, etc.).

However, the major challenge with waste separation on campus is the poor separation behavior. Waste is consistently disposed of incorrectly, making the sorting process inefficient. Through education and awareness efforts, we aim to improve this situation. You can find tips on separation on our website.

Water supply

Saving water

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The water supply for our campus is provided by the municipal utilities, utilizing a well on the island of Soldatenau, which is approximately 3 km along the Danube.

In our sanitary facilities and during cleaning processes, only cold water is used. The showers in the sports center and the cafeteria are heated by solar thermal systems, allowing us not only to rely on renewable energy but also to minimize energy consumption. In the tea kitchens, under-counter boilers with a capacity of 5 liters are used, ensuring demand-oriented hot water supply.

To minimize water wastage, 85% of our faucets are equipped with water-efficient technology, including automatic shut-off and motion sensors. Optimization has also been implemented for toilet flushes to reduce water consumption while avoiding additional flushing of the pipes.

Sophisticated piping systems for irrigation

The University of Passau relies on a piping system that filters water from the Inn River and directs it through a heat exchanger in order to cool the server facilities in the ITZ building.

Subsequently, the water is utilized for irrigating the sports field. This results in an impressive annual savings of 6000 cubic meters, equivalent to the average consumption of approximately 32 households with four people each. Other green areas are only irrigated in midsummer and exceptional cases.