USC Sustainability and USC Hospitality, in partnership with reusable container company USEFULL, is piloting a reusable metal container program for takeout orders at residential dining halls beginning Oct. 16.

The program will replace the compostable clamshell containers the dining hall currently provides for takeout with reusable stainless steel containers. The reusable container program will begin as a test, but the University hopes to implement it full time.

Campus dining will implement the program at Everybody’s Kitchen on Oct. 16, Parkside Restaurant on Oct. 17 and USC Village Dining Hall on Oct. 18, said Gary Marschall, director of campus dining. He hopes that the individual focus provided to each dining hall by spreading out the start dates will ensure a smooth and successful implementation of the program.

“[The container] is a metal bowl and a silicone lid that is 100% [recyclable]. The stainless steel walls are double wall stainless steel so hot will stay hot and cold will stay cold, much like a YETI cup,” Marschall said. In addition to their ability to maintain temperature, the stainless steel bowls are also fully recyclable. 

To participate in the program, students must sign up through the USEFULL app. Once they sign up, they can request a to-go container at any of the dining hall locations. The cashier will then provide them with the new container upon request.

Students are also expected to return the containers within 48 hours. Each dining hall will have return bins for the bowls, and students will scan a QR code on the bottom of their bowl upon return. Students will be charged a $1 fee for every day following the initial 48 hours that a bowl is not returned. The dining hall team will clean and sterilize the bowls before they are returned to rotation for student use.

The reusable metal container program, which is part of President Carol Folt’s Zero Waste Program, aligns with the University’s recent sustainability efforts. While the current compostable take out containers are environmentally friendly, the shift to using reusable containers will help to eliminate any unnecessary waste. 

“By eliminating the compostable clamshell cup and lid that we’re currently giving out, we’re reducing the amount of waste per consumer significantly. It’s a huge number,” Marschall said.

Marschall said the University drew inspiration from other colleges that have successfully implemented similar programs, notably Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Marschall mentions that even beyond USC, there is a growing emphasis on reusable programs at many universities such as Boston University and Ohio State University. Marschall said he expects that students will respond well to this new change. 

“Students at USC and most other universities nationwide are very conscious. Whether it’s waste or disposables, we do feel that it’s going to be very well accepted,” he said.

Ryan Boxer, a sophomore majoring in cinema and media studies, said he is all for sustainability and the new change. 

“I don’t know enough, [but] I assume [reusable containers] would be more sustainable because you’re having less waste without all the boxes that are being used. It’s an interesting change, and if it’s more sustainable then it’s cool,” Boxer said.

Meanwhile, Erik Lu, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said he felt that current dishes and utensils in the dining halls were dirty and expressed serious concerns about the cleanliness of new containers. 

“I feel it’d be harder to maintain how clean the bottom of the metal container will be after every usage,” he said. “I think sanitation is one thing that the school has to focus on.”

Although it may prove challenging, the University has ambitions of eventually implementing the program at every food location on campus, beyond just the dining halls.

“The other hope is that we’d be able to roll it out into other venues on campus wide, like the retail venues, which is a much larger challenge due to the vast number of transaction[s] in the retail locations and the fast food locations [where] every transaction is to-go. Whereas in residential, we know that about 8% of our transactions are to-go,” Marschall said. 

The success or failure of these new containers will be crucial in determining whether or not the program is here to stay, or even expanded to retail venues.