Approach — Aversion

Aversion rate

FTE students, faculty and staff

Downtown Phoenix, Lake Havasu, Polytechnic, Tempe and West FY 2008–FY 2022

Total waste: 9,126 tons

Aversion is waste reduction and reuse. Departments and individuals can positively impact aversion in these ways:

Reduce: Purchase less. Be mindful of purchases and how items will be disposed.

Reuse: Choose reusable items over items that need to be landfilled or recycled.

The FY 2022 aversion rate* returned to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting in-person activities have returned to typical levels. However, with tools like Zoom and other technology, some in-person activities transitioned to a digital format. For example, the New Student Orientation Experience is now entirely online. With waste generation returning to pre-pandemic levels and the transition of some in-person activities to digital formats, the Zero Waste department believes that more actions are taking place.

The Zero Waste department provides waste data to the following reports:

• AASHE Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Reporting System.

• ASU’s Sustainability Operations annual review.

• EPA Food Recovery Challenge.

• Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge.

• The Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The Zero Waste team presented material and information at the ASU Supplier Showcase.

Waste streams deep dive

Digging into the data

ASU collects different types of materials in the following streams. The Blue Bin commingle and scrap metal programs have had steady growth year-to-year.

ASU waste streams

Material category Waste stream description

Commingled Paper, aluminum, cardboard, glass and plastic.

Donations

Food waste

Donations collected during Ditch the Dumpster at move-out and throughout the year in residence halls.

Food waste, napkins and compostable food service items from athletics events and dining halls.

Green and yard waste Branches, grass clippings, palm fronds, plant trimmings, wood and yard waste.

Inert Concrete, sand and asphalt.

Landfill Municipal and operational solid waste sent to landfill.

Scrap metal

Specialty recycling

Scrap metals salvaged from HVAC upgrades, plumbing retrofits and other operational projects.

Items collected through specialty programming; the material breakdown is in the specialty recycling table.

Waste streams deep dive

A closer look at specialty recycling

The specialty recycling stream makes up 1.07% of the total waste diverted from ASU and encompasses many programs and tracking systems.

The stream covers hazardous and difficult-to-recycle items, such as batteries, light bulbs and motor oil. It also includes items that cannot be recycled in the Blue Bin commingle program but can be recycled through other processes.

Some material streams in the chart are part of university operations, and others are influenced by students, faculty and staff’s personal purchasing choices.

The Zero Waste department provides a Waste Directory so users can find specialty-recycling options and learn how to decrease their use of single-use and difficult-to-recycle items when possible.