GW Dining introduced a reusable take-out container program late last month, working to eliminate single-use to-go boxes at campus dining halls.
University spokesperson Julia Metjian said the program, which started Sept. 30, allows students to pay a one-time refundable $5 fee for a token to exchange for the reusable OZZI to-go container at dining halls. The program aims to phase out paper to-go products at Thurston, Shenkman and Pelham Commons dining halls to create “more sustainable and eco-friendly” campus dining, according to a GW Dining Instagram post.
Metjian said the GW Dining Student Advisory Panel spearheaded the initiative to “complement” compostable to-go containers already in use in all campus dining locations.
Metjian said students can give their tokens to a dining hall register attendant to exchange for the OZZI container and use it like a regular to-go box. She said students then can return the container to the OZZI machine outside of the dining hall entrances to receive a new token for their next container, though she said there is no time limit on when students are supposed to return the container.
“They can keep it as long as needed and return it at any dining hall when it’s convenient,” Metjian said in an email.
She said students can purchase the $5 token using dining dollars at GW Dining tabling events or by appointment with the GW Dining office. She said students can return their token to GW Dining at the end of the academic year and officials will return the $5 deposit to point of purchase.
“GW Dining will continue to hold tabling events and promote this new initiative throughout the year to encourage more students to make sustainable choices,” Metjian said.
