Reduce, Reuse, Repackage
Reusable Takeout Containers Now at UnCommon Grounds
Bryn Mawr College is partnering with Dispatch Goods to reduce waste on campus! Next time you pick up your to-go order at UnCommon Grounds or attend a major campus event, keep an eye out for the orange cups, bowls, takeout boxes, and plates that have replaced all single-use packaging. Remove any leftover food or waste, and place your empty containers in a matching orange bin on campus. Return bins are available at Campus Center, Lusty Cup (Canaday Library), Erdman Dining Hall, New Dorm Dining Hall, Wyndham, Taylor Hall (1st floor) and Park Science (atrium).
How It Works
Eat
Return
Repeat!
Why make the switch?
By teaming up with Dispatch Goods, Bryn Mawr joins the ranks of Stanford Healthcare, UC Berkeley, DoorDash, and more institutions and companies that are prioritizing low-waste dining. These containers use less water and produce fewer carbon emissions, and keep single-use packaging out of the waste stream. Since the start of this program, Bryn Mawr College has helped keep over 40,000 containers out of landfills - preventing 2.4 tons of waste from entering landfills, saving over 19 tons of carbon emissions, and saving over 20,000 gallons of water. Help increase these numbers by re-using and returning containers!
FAQs
Return bins are available at all dining locations at Bryn Mawr - Erdman Dining Hall, New Dorm Dining Hall, Wyndham, Lusty Cup, and UnCommon Grounds.
Additional bins are located in Taylor Hall (1st floor) and Park Science (atrium).
Return bins are limited in number, and spread around campus based on user density, staffing availability and ideal pick-up locations for the vendor (Dispatch Goods).
We ask everyone to please return the containers on a regular basis. Some offices and dorms have members take turns collecting and returning containers a few times a week - we encourage this!
The overall return rate is tracked by the vendor and it fluctuates. We rely on the honor system to ensure a high return rate. Our current return rate is 60% - and we can do better! Please help us increase return rates by:
- Returning your own containers frequently
- Reminding friends and colleagues to return containers - or offering to bring rinsed out containers to a return bin when you can
Nope! This program relies on the honor system to keep us accountable. Just make sure to drop your container in an orange bin when you're done. When you bring your container back, it stays in rotation, cuts a lot of single-use waste, and keeps the program free for everyone. We count on you to keep the cycle going.
These containers are made from durable, reusable polypropylene (PP #5), which is widely used for food-safe, heat-resistant products. They're long-lasting, washable, designed for high reuse cycles, and are BPA-free, BPS-free, and PFAS-free.
All containers are washed at a commercial wash facility using high-heat sanitation that meets or exceeds health department guidelines.
Yes, they are microwave-safe, but we always recommend removing the lid for ventilation.
The containers are reusable and made from polypropylene (pp recycling symbol no. 5) and do not contain BPA, BPS, PFAS, or other toxic chemicals. Polypropylene is approved by Food and Drug Administration for food safety and is frequently used for yogurt containers, baby bottles, and reusable food storage. This particular re-usable program offers alternatives to disposables at a large scale. While re-usable polypropylene containers are generally considered less harmful than other forms of plastic (such as polystyrene or polyethylene), all forms of plastic products has the potential to leach microplastics into the environment. As an alternative, customers to UnCommon Grounds may use a ceramic mug for hot beverages or bring their own clean reusable mug.
Explore sustainability at Bryn Mawr
