The movement away from plastic and other single-use items has ranged in venues from city councils, state houses, workplaces, and universities. Science for Georgia has written extensively on Breaking Up with Plastic; including The Science Of Plastic Recycling, Single Use Plastics & Georgia, and Plastic Recycling In Macon. As young people have been a driving force in the green movement, it is unsurprising that college campuses have been implementing stronger environmental policies than local or federal governments. Policies vary in approaches, ambition, and timelines but tend to focus on the same tactics, namely, reducing single-use items. College campuses provide a place to test new policies, research and innovate in the field, educate about sustainability, and train the next generation of organizers. Herein, we outline what policies have been working and review the current relationship between universities and the plastic industry.

As we have covered at Science for Georgia, the production and disposal of single-use plastics are destructive to the environment and negatively impact climate change and human health. However, modern culture has become accustomed to plastics and the convenience (and price reduction) that they can bring. Solutions like biodegradable/compostable alternatives seem like an easy (although more expensive) fix to the plastic problem. Compostable plastics are only compostable in specific circumstances. They must be composted in professional facilities. The US does not currently have a robust composting infrastructure and facilities have complex policies on what they accept. Unless a campus has ready access to industrial composting, this solution may be untenable.

The strongest plans involve a combination of policies that create a culture of sustainability on campus. Policies also cannot be passed in a vacuum as we have seen in the case of composting and plastic replacements. Looking beyond single-use plastics to reusable plastics and general waste is also important in sustainability. Examples of these zero-waste policies include sustainable event planning, swag reduction, and waste audits.

Many groups such as the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN), Plastic Free Campus, Beyond Plastics, and Student PIRGs have focused on campus environmental activism. These organizations work in tandem with other advocacy groups for related matters on sustainability to share resources for planning across multiple venues. Resource sheets and modules are available for students and faculty to start the process of passing and implementing new policies. A thorough plan involves data collection, engaging stakeholders, messaging development, setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound) goals, and consistent follow-through. Some schools choose to pass and implement policies in one fell swoop, while others take a stepwise approach.

The most impactful plastic reduction policies impact universities’ purchasing and procurement. These policies determine what the university orders for events, dining halls, campus stores, vending machines, etc. This takes the burden of sustainability off students and creates a greater system of plastic-free living by changing the environment in which people live, learn, and work. These policies also leverage change outside of the university through market power. One example of this is that many universities have agreements with beverage companies to fill their vending machines and campus stores with drinks in plastic bottles. A single-use plastic ban would require renegotiation to provide beverages in aluminum cans, cardboard cartons, or other plastic-free options. As more universities go plastic-free, companies like Coca-Cola (the world’s largest source of plastic pollution) will be forced to accelerate their movement away from plastic.

Another approach to solving the plastic problem on campus is education campaigns and policies directed at student behavior. One such policy is banning single-use plastic materials for campus events such as balloons, glitter, and confetti. These bans are simple to implement as they do not require major operational or functional changes. However, they should be accompanied by educational/promotional campaigns to have the greatest impact on behavior. Purely educational campaigns spearheaded by student organizations or university offices of sustainability educate students and staff on reducing plastic in their daily lives. However, these policies may be less effective if the environments in which students and staff  make decisions are not concurrently changed (e.g. it’s hard to switch away from single use plastic when soda only comes in plastic bottles).

Emory University has pledged to phase out unnecessary single-use plastics by 2026 as inspired by Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN). The Plastic Free Emory Project establishes a student-led task force to implement year-by-year reduction strategies and purchasing guidelines. The project engages stakeholders such as student organizations, procurement services, the Hatchery, and Emory Dining. While there is an educational component to this sustainability campaign, the driving force is institutional policy changes to create an environment free of plastics.

Georgia Tech has implemented the Tip Cycle program to reduce single-use plastic waste in its labs. The program washes and reuses pipettes to extend the life of the plastic and reduce consumption. As a STEM school, Georgia Tech focuses on research and innovation across the field of sustainability, with projects such as living buildings, LEED, and STARS certifications. The school’s zero-waste plan focuses on recycling, composting, and reusing rather than banning or reducing single-use plastics. The goal is to reach zero-waste by 2050.

Georgia State University has focused on improving recycling on campus and has generated a report with recommendations across the spectrum of waste management. University of Georgia Athens has encouraged students to make sustainable swaps, provided education on proper recycling, and researched environmental engineering. Kennesaw State focuses on appropriate waste management and recycling.

1. Research the policies at your school. What has been passed? Are they being implemented? Is the implementation transparent? Are there data and reporting metrics attached?
2. Get involved with environmental student organizations, student government, or the school sustainability office. Who is already doing work that you can contribute to? Are there clubs you can join? Internships to apply for? Listening sessions to attend? 
3. Pick a campaign that works best for your school. If your school hasn’t already committed to going plastic-free, consider different organizing efforts and strategies that have worked elsewhere.
4. Organize to pass policies. Get student organizations on board. Ask faculty to get involved. Draft bills or resolutions for the student government.
5. Show off your work. Volunteer to speak to groups, organizations, etc. to educate them on the benefits of moving away from plastic. Write articles about the process. Post on social media about your challenges and successes.
6. Look beyond your school to the greater community. Advocate for plastic reduction to your local, state, or federal representative. Volunteer at environmental clean-up days. See how you can make your life plastic-free and share with friends.

The PLAN pledge consists of four steps to eliminate single-use plastics on campus. 

1. Establish a task force of students, faculty, and staff to set a roadmap and timeline. 
2. Immediate elimination of all non-essential, non-compostable, single-use disposable plastics with readily available alternatives and determine harder-to-eliminate materials. 
3. Establish a procurement policy for the long-term elimination of non-essential, non-compostable, single-use disposable plastics. 
4. Implementation of campus-wide systems that facilitate the proper collection and management of the non-disposable products from step 3. 

The PLAN pledge is signed by Colby Sawyer College, Cerritos College, Emory University, Marshall University, University of California, College of the Atlantic, Eckerd College, Durham Tech, Sterling College, and College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Plastic Free Campus is a global movement that provides resources for creating plastic-free schools at every level of education. The program provides materials on performing waste audits, sample letters to administrators, campaign ideas, waste management, procurement, and community events.

Beyond Plastics has various initiatives for sustainability in colleges, schools, local governments, and community businesses. They have a variety of fact sheets, events, and initiatives aimed at plastic reduction. The Beyond Plastic Bill is a ban on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, splash guards, polystyrene, and balloon releases. Their toolkit includes a sample bill, sample petition, media toolkit, and fact sheets.

Student PIRGs pledge encompasses eliminating single-use plastic:

• utensils, straws, and stirrers
•   food service ware (cups, plates, bowls, trays, sauce dishes, lids, etc)
•   clamshells & to-go containers, all polystyrene (Styrofoam™ and similar) food service products
•   plastic-lined cups and bowls (coffee cups, soup bowls, snack boats, etc)
•   plastic-wrapped condiments, sauces, and seasonings (butter, jelly, peanut butter, creamers, sugars, salt, pepper, etc)
•   individually packaged items with bulk alternatives (napkins, oyster crackers, individually wrapped fresh baked goods, mints, toothpicks, etc)
•   hot beverage packets unnecessarily packaged in plastic (K-Cups, plastic-wrapped tea bags, etc)
•   plastic shopping bags