Plastics Reduction Initiative

Reducing ASU's plastic footprint

ASU is expanding its Plastics Reduction Initiative campus-wide to reduce single-use plastics.

Desk-side bins are being removed from all offices and cubicles at ASU's four Phoenix metro-area campuses — Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe and West Valley. The initiative also includes the Media and Immersive eXperience Center in Mesa, ASU Chandler Innovation Center, ASU California Center Broadway and Grand buildings in Los Angeles, and the Barrett & O’Connor Center in Washington, D.C.

If you purchased a desk-side bin with personal funds, please remove it. All bins purchased by the university are being removed.

Centralized waste stations will be available on all floors in each building, checked daily and emptied as needed:

• Landfill bins will be lined with compostable liners
• Recycling bins will be bagless and cleaned regularly
• Compost bins are available upon request and will remain in kitchenettes and select locations, serviced weekly

Please keep food and liquids out of recycling bins. Unemptied containers can attract pests.

Bring trash and recyclable items to the nearest centralized waste station and sort them there. Use the online Waste Directory to determine which bin is appropriate for your waste.

Labs and medical spaces are exempt. Lab staff who choose to keep desk-side bins are responsible for emptying them into centralized bins. 

According to the National Audubon Society and Nature Medicine, microplastics are being discovered in uninhabited wilderness areas and even the human brain. Before ASU implemented the Plastics Reduction Initiative, nearly 42% of campus-generated plastics were soft plastics — mostly liner bags from waste bins. This initiative will save hundreds of thousands of plastic bags from ending up in landfills.

ASU’s switch to compostable liners and bagless recycling bins will help the university reach its zero-waste goals and reduce single-use plastics by 90% by 2027. ASU has hovered around a 40% diversion rate in recent years.

The extra step encourages us to be mindful of how much and what type of waste we create, increasing diversion and decreasing the amount of waste generated at ASU. The initiative also supports movement, which is essential to desk workers’ health.

ASU piloted the Plastics Reduction Initiative in two Tempe campus buildings during fall 2025. The following results prompted a widespread initiative to reduce plastic waste across ASU campuses and locations.

• 22,176 desk-side bin bags eliminated
• 11,040 centralized bin liners avoided
• 8,117 plastic beverage bottles avoided
• 1,389 gallons of water saved — about fifteen days of use for the average person

If you have questions about the Plastics Reduction Initiative, email ASU Zero Waste.