Eco-friendly containers catch on with students

Reusable containers in the dining halls are gradually becoming more popular a month after they began being sold.

On Sept. 1, Carolina Dining Services began offering students reusable plastic to-go containers and shopping bags in an effort to reduce the amount of waste produced by using disposable packaging.

For $3.50, students can purchase the plastic containers, which can be brought back to the campus dining halls and exchanged with a clean one.

More than 200 containers have been sold, said Keith Smith, senior director for Carolina Dining Services, adding that he has found the new reusable containers to be a successful concept.

“The longer it’s around, the more popular it will become,” said Bill Bobbitt, co-chairman of student government’s environmental affairs committee. “(It’s) one of the most visible sustainability measures we can have because everyone in the dining hall can see the translucent green containers.”

Carolina Dining Services and the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling began considering using biodegradable containers this summer.

They examined different compostable packaging and determined that the best solution was reusable packaging.

When Carolina Dining Services saw the reusable containers used by Eckerd College in Florida, they began to implement the plan.

Responses have been positive from students and various sustainability groups, Smith said.

The reusable containers not only cause less waste to be produced, but they save the University money, Bobbitt said.

A student investing in one reusable container would save the University from purchasing excessive amounts of Styrofoam containers.

Carolina Dining Services plans to continue selling and promoting the containers with sustainability meals planned throughout the year.

Although most students have not yet purchased the reusable containers, many said they like the idea.

“I feel that the immense amount of waste caused by nonreusable containers is a problem for the environment, and if I did get meals to go, I would use them,” sophomore Sean Kiernan said. He has not yet bought a container.

Reception also has been mostly positive among students who use the containers.

“I feel like I’m helping the environment somewhat,” senior Roscoe Harris said. “It’s better than the Styrofoam.”



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.