UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Housing and Food Services will no longer use Styrofoam products at its residential dining locations at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses. As of Aug. 14, all dining locations will use either recyclable or compostable containers.
This change will occur in conjunction with the University’s "PSreUse" reusable container program, established in 2021. When ordering a meal to go, diners can indicate that they’d like a reusable container. After enjoying a meal, they can return the container to any cashier station and receive a new container free of charge.
The change is a part of the University’s larger effort to remove unnecessary campus waste.
“Being more sustainable is one of our department goals,” said Jim Meinecke, Penn State director of residential dining. “The change to compostable containers is a positive step in that direction, but we know growing the PSreUse program is the larger long-term goal and will be even more impactful. In my view, this is a positive first step, but we will continue to focus on lessening our waste moving forward.”
Anyone with a valid Penn State ID can use the PSreUse program, and the residential dining halls accept payment through campus and commuter meal plans, as well as LionCash.