Marine Debris and Plastic Source Reduction Toolkit
Plastic Source Reduction Toolkit for Colleges & Universities and Other Institutional Settings
Many plastic food service ware items originate on college and university campuses—in cafeterias, snack rooms, cafés, and eateries with take-out dining options. The Marine Debris and Plastic Source Reduction Toolkit, developed by Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) with EPA funding, can be easily implemented by colleges, universities and other institutions around the country to minimize plastic waste and reduce the amount of marine debris polluting the planet's oceans and waterways.
The toolkit identifies four steps to achieving source reduction:
- Determining the campus’s plastic footprint with the toolkit’s Footprint Calculator;
- Creating a source reduction plan to reduce or eliminate the use of disposable plastic items;
- Changing campus procurement practices by identifying less environmentally impactful products; and
- Establishing campus-wide source reduction policies.