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SUNY-ESF has eliminated plastic products from its vending machines and replaced them with aluminum options.

This change went into effect at the beginning of the spring 2021 semester, after ESF signed the #breakfreefromplastic campus pledge in 2020. ESF is working to eliminate all single-use plastic items from its campus, and plastic bottles were at the top of the list, said Susan Fassler, sustainable facilities manager at ESF.

“Aluminum is able to be recycled more readily than plastic,” Fassler said. “Aluminum cans can be recycled back to beverage cans without a degradation of quality, whereas plastic bottles are oftentimes downcycled to lesser items and are usually only able to be recycled once.”

Single-use plastics are a major environmental issue, said Jessica Proctor, a student member of the Break Free From Plastic Committee at ESF.

“ESF identifies as an environmentally conscious institution, so it is important that we practice what we preach,” Proctor said. “While I would eventually like to see the campus at zero waste, there are better alternatives to plastics, so this was a necessary step in the right direction.”

The options in the vending machines will be the same with a few exceptions — including the elimination of Gatorade and milk. The committee is considering offering Gatorade powder that can be mixed with canned water, Fassler said.
The Trailhead Cafe on ESF’s campus still sells plastic items, but Fassler and her team are working with the cafe’s management to see if they are also willing to switch to aluminum.

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More stories on university environmental initiatives:

• SUNY-ESF faculty, students look forward to Biden’s environmental policies
• SA forms committee to address environmental issues at SU
• SU to reduce environmental impact of COVID-19 response strategy

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The committee is also working on a disposable glove recycling program, which will be executed in the Trailhead Cafe and two labs on campus.

The Office of Sustainability at ESF is developing a sustainability action plan for the school this year with suggestions from students studying environmental and energy auditing during the spring semester, Fassler said. The staff will work to introduce new changes next fall.

“Students are absolutely instrumental in the mission for sustainability,” Proctor said. “If we see something that can be improved, we need to use our voices to fix it.”

Students can email Fassler directly to offer feedback and suggestions for eliminating plastic products on campus. If there are single-use plastic items anywhere on ESF’s campus, Fassler will add them to the ongoing list and the committee will brainstorm ways to remove and replace them, she said.

“It’s a great start, but this definitely is not the finish line,” Proctor said. “ESF has a long way to go before we reach our true potential for sustainability as an institution. I’m excited for this step but looking forward to our future initiatives as well.”

Published on March 7, 2021 at 9:34 pm