Stonehill Goes Green with 100% Green Containers

BY CAROLINE BUNNELL

PC: Reuzzi

Stonehill students can say goodbye to single use to-go containers in the commons, as Stonehill is transitioning to 100% use of green containers through Reuzzi beginning on March 20.

“The green container program has been a wonderful success – a fantastic initiative among Reuzzi, Stonehill, and Sodexo to reduce the number of single-use disposable containers and reuse green containers, with a special shout-out to SGA,” Stonehill Chemistry Professor, and CEO of Reuzzi, Cheryl Schnitzer said.

The Environmental Stewardship Council and SGA have worked together to kickstart this initiative on campus.

The council is made up of faculty members, the president of Students for Environmental Action, a member of SGA, and at least one representative from each administrative decision of the college. They work to make campus more environmentally sustainable through improving policies, and practices at Stonehill.

Six months into the green container program, Stonehill has already seen significant improvements to sustainability on campus.

"We reduced single-use containers by 76% from fall 2021 to fall 2022. That saved students almost $34k on single-use containers, providing them with more funds to spend on food," Business Manager and Director of Purchasing, Greg Wolfe said.

Junior, Beth Parkinson is optimistic about the efforts Stonehill is putting in to be more environmentally friendly.

“I think it’s nice that Stonehill is making an effort to be more environmentally conscious,” Parkinson said.

Stonehill is looking to get back to pre-COVID practices of the 100% use of green containers from fall 2019. That was proven to be successful as they reduced the use of single-use containers by 90% from fall 2017, Schnitzer said.

Some Stonehill students are optimistic about the transition, because of the environmental impact single-use containers have on campus.

“I like the green containers because all the cardboard and plastic or food is usually packaged in on campus is such a huge waste,” said junior Meg Swezey.

Senior, Grace Shaughnessy agrees they are better for the environment, but hopes the convenience remains the same.

“I like the green containers because they are better for the environment, but I hope they are as easy to get as the paper boxes," Shaughnessy said.

To help with any confusion or issues, there will be Reuzzi representatives in the commons during the week of March 20.

Students can download the Reuzzi app for Apple or Android and will immediately earn points towards rewards and raffle prizes for returning all containers in a timely manner.

To learn more about Reuzzi and the environmental impact visit reuzzi.com.