Reusable to-go boxes have been implemented at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Scott Dining Hall, replacing the previous single-use boxes and moving in the direction of sustainability.
The green to-go boxes were introduced in the cafeteria on the first day of the fall semester and have since succeeded in reducing waste surrounding the student meal plan. The first to-go box that students purchase is $5 and after that it’s up to them to keep the system going.
The Scott Campus Food and Beverage Director Darrin Dukart coordinated the program with the hope of reducing waste after seeing how much was thrown away with the previous disposable system.
“The amount of trash that we saw was unbelievable,” Dukart said. “We also think there’s less food waste because of it … It does take a little more [effort], but this was worth it.”
Having started out with 1,000 to-go boxes, the dining hall had 900 in use over the first two weeks of the fall semester. With that, they needed to order 250 additional boxes to keep up with student traffic.
Upon purchasing their first $5 to-go box, students take their food home, rinse out the box after use, return it to a bin in the cafeteria and get a new clean one. If they choose to eat in the dining hall, they can get a token for the next time they use a to-go box. However, if they lose the box or token, they will have to spend an additional $5 for a new one.
“We probably thought about it for two to three years, and a year ago I said, ‘Well, we’re not thinking about it anymore. We’re going to do it,’” Dukart said. “So, we started working on it throughout the summer.”
Dukart said the new system is “not meant to be a money-making” scheme, with the boxes costing the dining hall the same amount they sell them to students for.
“I hate wasting stuff,” Dukart said. “I’ve done this for 40 years and waste is our biggest enemy. The most rewarding [part of the process] was that there were a lot more positive comments early on.”
Student Jenna Kramer uses the green to-go boxes “nearly every day.” She said the new system has been very “efficient” and says she has gotten into the flow of the new system quickly.
“I love the green boxes because the old boxes were single use, and their popularity accumulated an appalling amount of waste,” Kramer said. “Now I can conveniently grab food to-go without feeling guilty for contributing to the excessive waste.”
Kramer is also part of the campus sustainability club, Sustain UNO, and is excited to see what other green practices can be started up on the UNO campus.
“In a time where environmental protections are actively being dismantled, seeing UNO’s increased efforts to reduce dining hall waste makes me feel hopeful that our campus still cares about protecting the Earth,” Kramer said. “I hope that the transition to reusable boxes is only the beginning.”
Dining and Cooking