Waste Management Of Arizona Driving Arizona State University's Roadmap To Zero Solid Waste

Phoenix, AZ /PRNewswire/ -- Waste Management of Arizona and Arizona State University (ASU) announced today their collaborative program "Roadmap to Zero Solid Waste" that aims to eliminate 90 percent or more of ASU's solid waste by 2015.

The program is being developed in three phases including waste assessment, roadmap development and program implementation. It includes all four ASU campuses – Tempe, West, Polytechnic and Downtown Phoenix.

Waste Management already is working with an ASU team to assess the university's complete waste-collection processes, waste generation and material conveyance. Waste Management dedicated an on-site project manager and two student interns to provide continual guidance and direction throughout the roadmap development process, including the execution of the waste-elimination plan.

"Harnessing the expertise of the Waste Management team will enable us to properly align our resources within ASU sustainability operations to achieve our zero solid-waste strategies," said Ray Jensen, ASU associate vice president University Business Services and university sustainability operations officer. "We are fortunate to work with Waste Management on a 'Roadmap to Zero Solid Waste' to keep us on track to our 2015 zero solid-waste goal."

The objectives outlined in ASU's current 2015 zero-waste strategy include averting 30 percent of campus solid waste from the landfill and diverting 60 percent. The ASU community can help meet aversion goals in several ways by reducing consumption.

Landfill-waste diversion includes recycling, repurposing, reusing and composting practices. Waste-related operations at each of the four ASU campuses including generation trends, collection flow, container and compactor placement, front and back of house solutions and the final waste elimination processes are key areas for solid waste diversion measures.

"Waste Management's goal is to extract the maximum value from the waste stream, and we are a company that is truly committed to turning waste into a resource," said Pat DeRueda, Waste Management of Arizona-New Mexico area vice president. "We are proud to work with ASU, a leader in sustainability, to help them achieve their Zero Waste initiatives."

Waste Management has provided collection, processing, recycling and transport services of waste materials to Arizona State University since 2007.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management of Arizona and its 1,000 statewide employees provide waste and recycling services to nearly 500,000 customers throughout the state. For more information, visit www.wmofarizona.com.

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is one of the largest residential recyclers and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company's customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

About Arizona State University
Arizona State University is the largest public research university in the United States under a single administration, with total student enrollment of more than 72,000 in metropolitan Phoenix, the nation's sixth-largest city. ASU is creating a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural, and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real-world application, blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 nations across the globe. To learn more about Arizona State University visit http://asu.edu.

SOURCE Waste Management of Arizona