Case Study: Mount Holyoke College

 

Switching from single-use to returnable takeout containers is a big step in a college’s zero-waste journey. But how exactly does the switch look on the ground? 

Mount Holyoke College experienced this shift first-hand earlier this year when they partnered with the USEFULL program of returnable cups and containers. Prior to the partnership, Mount Holyoke was using single-use packaging as the only takeout option. On average, takeout dining used about 250,800 compostable containers each year – a quantity that was a concern for both the school and the environment.

So, in February 2022, Mount Holyoke launched USEFULL to keep all of this waste out of the landfill. Now, Mount Holyoke Dining has substantially reduced the amount of waste on campus: in just the first eight months of operation, students checked out 39,552 containers (current impact can be found here). 

MOUNT HOLYOKE’S SAVINGS:

  • 92,182 gallons of water (the same as 5,761 showers!)

  • 10,325 pounds of emissions (the same as driving from New York to LA over 3 times!)

  • Loss rate: <1%

MHC ONE-YEAR PROJECTIONS:

  • 5488 pounds of trash avoided

  • 153,688 gallons of water saved

  • 17,236 pounds of emissions mitigated

We also learned that making returnable containers the only option for students is essential in boosting the number of checkouts – and, in turn, boosting impact. During the Spring 2022 semester, both single-use and USEFULL takeout containers were available for students. Once Mount Holyoke made USEFULL the only takeout container option, average daily checkouts jumped 160%. The lesson? USEFULL now asks our partners to go “all-in” on returnables. 

Here’s what students and staff are saying about USEFULL at Mount Holyoke:

  • “I will continue to use USEFULL as much as I can! It’s much better than the cardboard takeout stuff which ends up in the landfill and doesn’t keep food warm.” - Student

  • “I hope we can continue to use USEFULL throughout the summer and school breaks, as well as throughout the entire academic year next year!” - Student

  • “Amazing! My team got a standing ovation during a school leadership forum as a result of launching the USEFULL program.” - Higher Ed Dining Leader

It’s been an exciting eight months at Mount Holyoke. We can’t wait to see their impacts grow in the future!

 

By Karlie Hayes, Marketing Strategy Intern, karlie@usefull.us

 
 
Case StudyAlison RogersIntern, Karlie, MHC, Higher Ed