Campus Initiatives: Dining Services

Elon’s Dining Services has taken on a number of sustainability initiatives.

Local Produce
Dining Services purchases local produce when available with preference for food grown in the area, state, and then region, in that order.

Waste Reduction
Organic waste from Elon’s two largest dining halls – Harden and Colonnades – is composted at an off campus facility. In FY 09, 48 tons of organic waste was composted.

Elon Dining Services promotes the use of re-usable water bottles. Students who select a meal plan option are provided with an aluminum re-usable water bottle. To encourage the use of the provided re-usable bottles, bottled water is not a meal plan option in retail locations and filtered water stations are available. Students who want water with their meal can use the filtered water stations to fill a re-usable bottle or a corn-based compostable cup available at retail locations. In the first year of this program, bottled water usage went down on average 26,500 bottles per month during the semesters, which was a 77% reduction. 

Trayless Dining
Elon’s dining halls went trayless in fall 2007 reducing water and energy usage as well as food waste. Prior to the change, in April of 2007, one-day studies were conducted to determine whether removing trays would indeed reduce food waste as expected. Elon’s results did show a reduction in food waste. ARAMARK, Elon’s Dining Services provider, conducted a study of 186,000 meals at 25 colleges and universities, of which Elon was one, and found a 25 to 30% reduction in food waste per person on trayless days.

Environmentally-Friendly Products
Dining Services uses GREENWARE compostable cups and cold to-go containers made from all natural corn based material. The straws are also made of a corn based material and are compostable. Napkins are made from 100% recycled paper. Dining Services has also switched to paper hot cups with 10% post-consumer recycled fiber and to-go plastic bags that are biodegradable.

Sustainable Facilities
The newest dining hall on campus, Colonnades Dining Hall, is one of many buildings on campus with numerous sustainable features.