Will transition to 100% compostable tableware

As part of Cleveland State University’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainability and reduce waste on campus, CSU Dining Services has announced that they will be transitioning to 100 percent plant-based compostable tableware. Moving forward, compostable cups, plates, and utensils will be used in all CSU dining facilities and for catered campus events. This effort augments the University’s composting initiative for kitchen food waste which yielded over 38,000 pounds in 2017 alone.

“Compostable products are becoming a popular choice for universities with ambitious waste reduction targets. In addition, students, faculty and staff have expressed a desire to move away from disposable plastic tableware and we’ve been able to make this transition with no additional product costs,” says Jennifer McMillin, director of the Office of Sustainability at CSU. “Our new compostable tableware is made from corn and sugarcane and can be turned into composted soil in less than two weeks.”

Compost collection bins will be set up in the CSU Student Center for catered events, and soil produced from the project will be used by CSU Facilities for campus landscaping. The initiative is a partnership between CSU’s Office of Sustainability, Dining Services, Student Affairs, Facilities and Conference Services.

“CSU Dining is committed to identifying areas where we can reduce environmental impact while continuing to provide high quality service for the campus community,” says Kathleen Mooney, assistant director for campus support services at CSU. “This initiative is truly a win-win.”

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