Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

By the year 2050, the global production of plastic is estimated to be roughly 34 billion metric tons and will account for 12 billion metric tons of waste in landfills. Traditionally, local governments hold the primary responsibility to manage municipal solid waste (MSW). As plastic continues to dominate the landfill waste sector, several universities have begun to adopt the responsibility of waste diversion. We will examine both municipal and university based policies and interventions aimed at mitigating the use of single-use plastics. Furthermore, we will examine the policy: determinants, challenges and benefits of implementing a single-use plastic policy in a large university setting.