GreenCampus

January 23, 2009

Eating on campus is a little bit greener, thanks to compostable take-out containers and products from university eateries. But the effort to decrease waste on campus has not come without some hiccups along the way.

"We're doing what we can, but we're in a test market," said James McFarland, executive chef with Consumer Services. "Some of our products have not held up to what we need them to."

McFarland said there are problems with products and technology in such a new market.  He has had difficulty getting the containers from distributors and some containers (like certain soup bowls) leak if the food is left in them for too long. This is combined with the fact that compostable containers cost about four times as much as plastic.

This is not discouraging though, says McFarland, who's been actively looking at ways to develop a campus-wide composting system for food and container waste that could ultimately provide nutrient-rich soil for the university.

If you know an initiative to make the U of S a greener campus, please email us at ocn@usask.ca.