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Syracuse University Food Services has used plastic utensils and bags in dining halls throughout the pandemic, which has made it more challenging to enhance sustainability on campus.

Since dining halls have been operating with takeout-only options, Food Services began offering plastic bags to students to carry their food, said Mark Tewksbury, the director of dining centers and concessions operations in the Carrier Dome.

New York state issued a ban last March on the use of plastic bags for entities required to collect state sales taxes. While the university is not subject to this law, it has taken efforts to become more sustainable and reduce its consumption of plastic.

“We’re looking to try to provide paper bags if we can. We’re working on that,” Tewksbury said. “Right now, the supply chain is so messed up when it comes to paper goods and plastic goods, and whatever you order today may not come tomorrow.”

The increased use of plastic in dining halls this year has also made composting difficult, Tewksbury said. Usually, the university composts any leftover food or uneaten food. But sorting out compostable waste has been difficult, as plastic products are being thrown into the composting bins, he said.

SU staff and experts said students’ individual efforts may go a long way in keeping SU dining halls environmentally friendly.

While paper bags are the greener option, Food Services employees are worried students will prefer plastic bags since they’re less likely to leak, Tewksbury said. Food Services has already started offering paper bags in the Ernie Davis Dining Hall to determine whether students will use them across campus.

SUNY-ESF also recently replaced plastic products from vending machines with aluminum options in an initial effort to become a plastic-free campus.

“I think taking the initiative is attainable for everyone,” said Susan Fassler, the sustainable facilities manager at SUNY-ESF. “Making that commitment is something that any university or college or entity can do.”

But students are often the ones to make sustainability initiatives possible on their campuses, Fassler said.

“It’s easy to make commitments. It’s hard to follow through,” she said. “But I think colleges are in a better space than other entities, because you do have student energy.”

SU students can help make dining halls more sustainable by taking the time to sort their food in the sustainability and recycling bins, Tewksbury said.

“I get it. People want to get in, get out. They don’t want to spend time sorting things,” he said. “But if students could help us or when they’re leaving the dining centers, that would be fantastic.”

Published on March 11, 2021 at 12:25 am