In an effort to reduce waste, LSU Dining has introduced new, re-usable to-go containers, called eco clamshells, at Bayou Bistreaux and On-The-Geaux in the Student Union.
“Those locations use a lot of to-go containers,” said Dean Samuels, LSU Dining marketing director. “The system is a little different in that you buy into the program and you have a container, but the container itself is not yours.”
In order to maintain a certain level of sanitation, students receive a new “eco clamshell” each time they dine at Bayou Bistreaux or On-The-Geaux, Samuels said.
Students can purchase the containers for $5 and need only to return their dirty container to receive a new one, he added.
Returned eco clamshells are put through LSU Dining’s dishwashing system to ensure that each container is ready to be used again, according to Samuels.
“It’s not just a matter of recycling in terms of not using a Styrofoam container or a plastic container, but it’s recycling in terms of keeping the life of the container going,” Samuels said.
Project Clean Plate, another sustainability activity put on by LSU Dining each semester, ran throughout the month of October, Samuels said.
LSU Dining measures the amount of trash created by students eating in the dining halls each day and posts it to show students the progress being made, he said.
“We do it every year because we’ve got a huge influx of freshmen and we really just want to help raise awareness about food waste,” said David Heidke, LSU Dining resident district manager.
Another program LSU Dining has adopted has been tray-less dining, Heidke said.
The tray-less dining program helped cut out half of the dishes being washed and led to a 30 percent reduction in food waste, Heidke said.
“When you are running a food service operation at the magnitude that we run at LSU Dining, if you’re not aware of wastage then you’re doing a huge disservice to everyone,” Samuels said.
