How to assess a reusable program for your college campus
As plastic pollution increases to perilous volumes, colleges across the country are setting ambitious waste-reduction goals. Introducing a reusable program for food and beverage containers is a great step toward this goal, but it can be daunting to explore what’s out there and determine which program is right for you.
Here’s a guide to help you assess a reusable program for your campus, focusing on key consideration areas including environmental impact, student experience, implementation, data and technology, and cost.
1. Environmental Impact: A Key Step Toward Zero-Waste
The primary goal of any reusable program is to reduce the environmental footprint associated with single-use plastics. Doing so will mitigate the landfill impact and save resources like water and energy required to produce and dispose of the plastics. In order to make sure you’re achieving this goal, your community must embrace the program and execute it as intended. (Hint: Ask about a program’s return rates!) This means:
The reusable containers used in the program cannot easily be mistaken for trash or else they are really just single-use containers in disguise.
The reusable containers used in the program should be made from materials that are durable enough that they don’t soon become waste themselves.
The program must work toward your institution’s green mandates while driving behavior change through student education and engagement.
For maximum environmental impact, single-use plastic shouldn’t be replaced by reusable plastic. This seems like a no-brainer since plastic is the offender in question, but it’s not always that straightforward since plastic is so ubiquitous.
It’s worth considering though that all reusable containers must be retired eventually, so their entire lifecycle should be factored in – from reuse through disposal. A material like stainless steel not only has a substantially longer reusable life than plastic, but it also does not break down during the recycling process and can be recycled indefinitely which nets a recycle rate that is a staggering >15x that of plastic.
Where USEFULL comes in: our plastic-free program has a 99% return rate, with innovative technology that encourages and incentivizes students to continuously reuse our durable stainless steel containers and food-grade silicone lids.
2. Student Impact: Health and Convenience Matter
The success of a reusable program depends heavily upon the engagement of those who are using the reusables - your students. It makes sense to consider how your choice in a program will impact their daily lives.
To start, we don’t need to tell you the importance of demonstrating care for your students’ health and well being. More and more research continues to emerge showing that the PFAs (aka “forever chemicals”) contained in many plastic food containers are finding their way into our bodies through the food that we eat. It doesn’t matter if it’s single-use or reusable, all plastics shed into microplastics, and your students may be consuming hundreds of microplastics a week from to-go plastic food containers.
What’s more, plastic does not retain heat very well, and students often need to microwave their plastic-contained takeout when they return to their dorm room so it returns to temperature. Microwaving plastic supercharges the process of both PFAs leaching and microplastics shedding into our food. So how can this be avoided? The need to reheat food is eliminated if the food is contained in a material that keeps it warm long enough for students to get to their destination. This of course also improves the takeout experience for your students when their food and drinks are kept at just-right temps.
In addition to meal temperature, there are other conveniences that can make or break student engagement in a reusable program. A program that integrates easily with student life—like allowing students to check in/out containers and receive return reminders via an app that lives right on their iOS or Android phone or even their campus ID card —improves the dining experience without disrupting it. Further, programs that engage students around the zero-waste mission without asking too much of them are most successful in creating community buy-in.
Where USEFULL comes in: Our plastic-free reusable containers are made of double-walled stainless steel that keeps hot food/bevs hot and cold food/bevs cold for 5+ hours, something we’re constantly hearing from students that they love! Those containers are easily managed right from our user-friendly app, which also allows students to see their individual environmental impact add up meal after meal to provide an extra layer of engagement and motivation.
3. Implementation: How Difficult Is It?
One of the biggest concerns for college campuses considering reusable programs is the difficulty of implementation. Is the program simple to integrate into existing dining services and other campus partners, or is the complexity going to be too much to manage?
Odds are, you’ve never implemented a reusable program before - at least not a successful one, or you wouldn’t be assessing solutions now. Many providers offer a single point solution, solving for one piece but not all, which leaves you trying to cobble together a system on your own that may or may not effectively meld together. Juggling separate providers for technology, container inventory, customer support, and informational marketing materials can be a hassle that your team isn’t equipped to take on and may not be able to sustain. The simplicity of using a unified solution from Day 1 (rather than inevitably switching to one down the line) eases the burden on dining services, making the switch smoother for staff and students alike.
You also have established processes and partners to consider, especially given your campus dining services takes a robust team of people to execute without a hitch multiple times a day. While any new program is going to require a degree of change, it’s important to minimize disruption as much as possible to maximize your chances of success. Be sure to ask prospective reusable providers how their program integrates with your campus card system and delivery platform partners.
Where USEFULL comes in: Our all-in-one program delivers a complete package - from sustainable containers to the tech that tracks them. Plus, you’ll receive hands-on support during the transition and beyond, including API integration with campus card providers and order-ahead solutions as well as assistance with training your staff and marketing the program to students. Read how we’ve also helped colleges easily integrate into current dishwashing routines.
4. Data and Technology: Get the Insights You Need
Data is essential for tracking progress, optimizing the program, and demonstrating your campus’ commitment to sustainability. An effective reusable program should offer clear, real-time insights into how well it’s performing. It should also help you easily keep tabs on where your container inventory is at any given time.
Technology can empower you with detailed metrics, including reusable container return rates, reductions in single-use plastic purchases, and overall environmental savings (like water, waste, and emissions reductions). These metrics are crucial not only for internal assessment but also for external ESG reporting, helping you confidently showcase the program’s impact.
It’s also important to choose a provider that is broadly accessible, has a track record of success, and can scale as your needs grow. Look for a program that can handle a larger volume of users and containers without losing efficiency.
Where USEFULL comes in: USEFULL’s tech-centered approach offers convenience and control powered by our proprietary, industry-leading tech stack that provides all the real-time data captured above. Our technology is simple to use and designed to grow with you, ensuring that your campus can continue to reduce waste even as participation increases.
5. Cost and ROI: Is It Worth It?
Finally, the financial aspect of introducing any new program is undoubtedly top of mind for you. While implementing a reusable program can require an upfront investment, the long-term cost savings are significant.
While reusable containers, especially durable stainless steel ones, may seem more expensive than cheap single-use plastics, the reality is actually quite different. As reusables cycle through more and more uses, cost per use drops dramatically over time, unlike disposables which are constantly being replenished. And durable materials have a significantly longer useful life, so the math truly adds up. It’s a real win-win for the Triple Bottom Line that takes into account the financial aspect as well as people and the planet.
Still, as you assess potential reusable partners, be sure to ask questions around upfront capital expenditures and return on investment. Look for a provider who understands that campus dining often runs on a tight budget and can help you quantify how the numbers will work for you. How will they expect you to cover the upfront inventory cost? Do they have programs that allow you to pay over time to keep your startup costs low? What is their success rate in terms of delivering cost savings to colleges? Asking questions like this will help you determine your comfort level with any investment required to implement a reusable program on your campus.
Where USEFULL comes in: USEFULL partners have saved an average of 20-50% in spend by switching from single-use to reusables. To ease the transition, we also offer an inventory lease system that avoids large capital expenditures through a flat (predictable!) monthly fee covering everything from containers to technology and implementation.
Ready to Make the Switch?
Introducing a reusable program may seem overwhelming, but with the right provider, it can be both seamless and significant. By considering environmental and student impact, implementation, data insights, and cost, you’ll be well-equipped to make a decision that benefits your campus community and the planet.
Looking for a solution that covers it all? Explore how USEFULL’s all-in-one reusable program can bring your campus a meaningful step closer to a zero-waste future. Reach out today for a demo and a sample!