Eggs, mozzarella sticks and hopefully disposable boxes: These are among the losses in the wake of Dining Services’ changes for the new academic year.
Dining Services has implemented changes to the Eco To-Go system and created a new system for salad bar and frozen yogurt purchases in an effort to reduce waste and address student concerns about flat-rate pricing.
The loss of eggs came about as a result of extenuating circumstances. A rise in avian flu cases has led to a global egg shortage, which curtailed Dining Services’ supply of liquid eggs.
The Eco To-Go program was an initiative launched in 2013 to help mitigate disposable to-go box usage. Students paid $5 to receive a key chain which they could exchange for a reusable plastic to-go box. They would receive a $0.10 discount each time they used the reusable boxes, and their key chain was given back upon return of the box. The initiative initially saw success in reducing purchases of the compostable to go boxes by 30 percent, but students eventually returned to their former habits.
The program will no longer make use of a buy-in fee, discount incentive or keychains; Eco To-Go will be loaded onto each student’s ID card and boxes can be checked in and out similar to library books.
April Powell, director of marketing and communications for Dining Services, said the change was important because it would reduce the amount of waste generated by Dining Services operations.
“Our goal is to reduce the amount of single-use products that we have in our purchasing stream. This is a huge way of doing that. Last year we used just under 800,000 compostable boxes, and while they are a form of better waste, they’re still waste,” Powell said. “So we want to try and move in this direction and see how it works for this community and move towards… no compostables and only Eco To-Go or plates.”
Purchases at make-your-own salad bars in Paws & Go and in the Village eatery and at the frozen yogurt machine in Paws & Go will now be charged based on weight. Paying $0.45 per ounce, students will no longer be charged extra for add-ons like chicken for salads or sprinkles for the frozen yogurt. Paul Schimmele, dining services manager, claimed that the model would likely save students money in allowing them to pay for the amount they want to eat, rather than a set amount for a size of box.