University Dining Services is committed to eliminating all avoidable waste to landfills by 2025, and more specifically, we eliminated all avoidable plastic straws from the McCarthy Center Dining Commons.*
We also sell reusable straws in the Red Barn Cafe in the Whittemore Library.
71%of sea birds and 30% of sea turtles have been found with plastic in their stomachs. Help us build a better tomorrow for everyone by limiting your straw use in our campus restaurants! #skipthestraw
*Should you require it, straws are available by request.
University Dining Services recycles thousands of pounds of waste oil into biodiesel every year with the help of our partner FiltaFry.
As part of its commitment to increase the sustainability of its operations, University Dining Services uses Ecolab’s Apex™ dishwashing system. Apex combines technology and products designed to save water and energy, minimize the impact of products on the environment, and has a built-in method of measuring results. Apex uses a unique combination of detergents, rinse additives, equipment and consultative services to address the operational challenges in food-service operations. The Apex management approach uses a tablet PC and wireless technology to communicate with the system's controller to download, process and analyze data to establish each food-service operation's "rack-to-guest ratio." By monitoring and improving this ratio, the system helps reduce the amount of water and energy used at each facility, and improve total operational efficiency.
All locations will benefit from using less water, energy and labor, thus minimizing their operations' overall environmental impact. In addition, the Apex system further supports Dining Services' sustainability initiatives with non-caustic chemistry and 95% less packaging material than current methods. Apex products come in a compact solid form that significantly reduces transportation shipments compared to bulkier liquid detergents.