Governing Campus Waste: Institutional and Behavioral Pathways to Sustainability in Korean Universities

Universities play a pivotal role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet their operational systems often lag behind stated sustainability commitments. This study examines waste generation, treatment costs, and carbon‐emission implications across 17 Korean universities using longitudinal institutional data from 2013 to 2023. Employing a quantitative, scenario‐based approach, the analysis estimates total food‐related waste under alternative contamination assumptions (30% and 67%) based on administrative waste records and standardized cost and emission factors. The results reveal persistent inefficiencies and high contamination rates, even as zero‐waste and sustainability initiatives have expanded across campuses. Ineffective sorting practices substantially increase financial burdens and carbon emissions at the institutional level, generating avoidable costs over time that could otherwise be redirected toward broader sustainability efforts. By quantifying these environmental and financial impacts, the study underscores the importance of infrastructure, operational systems, and governance in translating sustainability commitments into measurable progress toward SDG 12 and 13.