UMass Dining is committed to reducing single-use plastics from infiltrating our environment and impacting environmental and human health. With this focus, UMass Dining creates new initiatives that incentivize students to make better, informed choices regarding their waste management. The exchange of knowledge is an essential factor for change and growth, so it is important to understand the scope and status of our nation’s waste management regarding plastic.
According to the U.S Department of Energy, single-use plastics produce large amounts of carbon pollution, they are often difficult to recycle, and continue to come into landfills which pollute our streets, neighborhoods, and oceans.1 When defining single-use plastics, environmentalists refer to plastic products that are only used once before being thrown away or recycled. These products include plastic bags, wraps, and films which are all energy intensive to produce. Plastic consumption is responsible for 3% of the U.S’s energy production with 85% of these products ending up in landfills or in our oceans.2 While we’ve all been taught and constantly reminded the importance of recycling, less than 10% of these products are being correctly recycled.3
How does the production of plastic affect the environment and human health?
Plastic production drives plastic pollution which is a global public health issue. With the statistics stated above, plastic pollution has a significant role in how it affects the environment and human health. Plastic in our oceans can disrupt habitats and natural processes that reduce the abilities of ecosystems to function in regard to climate change.4 These disruptions can have serious effects on human livelihood and food production. Additionally, plastics are lined with chemical coatings that if not properly used and/or disposed of can also create chronic illnesses for humans and harmful effects for the environment and its organisms.
What are we doing to solve this issue?
The U.S Department of Energy announced that there are efforts in place to reuse single-use plastics by “upcycling” plastic film products into more valuable and affordable materials with a focus on the products being more recyclable and biodegradable.5
What is being done locally to help solve this issue?
UMass Amherst currently complies with the Town of Amherst’s ban on single-use plastic bags which allows for paper bag use and encourages residents to use their own reusable bags when shopping. Throughout campus, students can also find hydration stations that provide fresh, filtered water. With these hydration stations, available to all who are at UMass, helps reduce the use of plastic water bottle use on our campus by being able to refill a reusable container.
What does UMass Dining Sustainability help to contribute to plastic and waste reduction?
UMass Dining Sustainability has launched multiple initiatives to help students make better, informed decisions about their waste management. With tabling through survey results from students, our Sustainability team works to ensure that UMass and its students leave a positive impact on the environment and their health creating a safer campus climate.
Our new “No Taste For Waste” campaign encourages students to choose the dine-in options rather than to-go boxes to decrease the amount of plastic usage at Blue Wall. Smaller containers are also available for any leftovers to decrease the amount of food waste at UMass.
All throughout campus, there is an educational waste guide for students to refer to when needing to dispose of plastic or food. These guidelines fuel a primary initiative of UMass Dining Sustainability that promotes and encourages the exchange of knowledge about sustainable choices.
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “U.S. Department of Energy Invests $13.4 Million to Combat Plastic Waste, Reduce Plastic Industry Emissions.” Energy.gov, U.S Department of Energy, 11 Jan. 2022, www.energy.gov/eere/amo/articles/us-department-energy-invests-134-million-combat-plastic-waste-reduce-plastic. ↩︎
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) ↩︎
- (Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) ↩︎
- United Nations Environment Programme. “Plastic Pollution.” UNEP – UN Environment Programme, 8 Feb. 2022, www.unep.org/plastic-pollution#:~:text=Plastic%20pollution%20can%20alter%20habitats.
↩︎ - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “U.S. Department of Energy Invests $13.4 Million to Combat Plastic Waste, Reduce Plastic Industry Emissions.” Energy.gov, U.S Department of Energy, 11 Jan. 2022, www.energy.gov/eere/amo/articles/us-department-energy-invests-134-million-combat-plastic-waste-reduce-plastic. ↩︎