USEFULL containers are more eco-friendly, keep food fresher longer, and are easier to recover

Dining hall takeout just got a slick makeover at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) with stainless steel food containers and tumblers from USEFULL.

USEFULL’s plastic-free program helps dining teams meet sustainability goals more quickly and with more impact. Pitt, a recognized leader in sustainability, seeks to reduce landfill waste by 25% by 2030 from 2017 levels and held its first-ever Plastic-Free Week in October 2024.

The desire to eliminate plastics led the University of Pittsburgh, in partnership with Pitt Eats, to make the change, according to Pitt Eats Vice President of Operations Steve Schurr.

“We had the opportunity to move another step closer to becoming a plastic-free operation for our community at Pitt,” Schurr said. “The USEFULL containers help us remove more plastic from our operation, all while giving our students something they’ve been asking for: a sustainable way to take food on the go.”

The containers are also high-tech. Each has a QR code that is scanned when a student checks one out of a dining facility. The code connects to an app that issues students reminders about when their containers are due back. Like a library system, students are charged a nominal fee if they don’t return their USEFULL containers on time. This tracking technology, according to USEFULL, has led to an average of greater than 99 percent return rate for containers.