Evaluating the Benefits and Potential of “Plastic Reduction”: A Case Study of College Students in Western China

Abstract

The persistent increase in plastic consumption poses a formidable challenge to attaining climate objectives and mitigating plastic pollution, prompting a global movement towards “plastic reduction”. Given the large number and scale of colleges, it is crucial to analyze the potential for “plastic reduction” on campuses to integrate green and low-carbon practices. This study constructed a source–emission–grave (SEG) plastic waste evaluation framework, which chose Xi’an Shiyou University in Western China as the research object. Furthermore, a tailored plastic-reduction scheme is designed based on students’ daily consumption patterns. The evaluation effectively measures the university’s potential for reducing plastic usage and its direct environmental benefits. Results indicate that by promoting green consumption practices, there could be a potential 45% reduction in plastic usage among students in their daily routines, resulting in an annual per capita decrease of 4.4 kg of plastic consumption and utilization. The aforementioned leads to four environmental benefits, namely raw materials, savings in energy consumption, reduction in carbon emissions, and a decrease in plastic waste, resulting in a total value of CNY 45. If this program were implemented nationwide across colleges and universities, students could collectively reduce their annual plastic consumption by 162,000 tons within their daily lives while simultaneously generating direct economic benefits worth CNY 1.8 billion. These findings can serve as valuable references for other universities in devising effective initiatives to mitigate plastic consumption.