Campus issue: Oh, those Styrofoam woes

By Jessica Cervantez
Staff Reporter

Students use them everyday, don’t think twice about them and may not realize what they are doing to the environment. The overlooked item — Styrofoam boxes in The Main.

Rick Flores, general manager of Dining Services, said between 2,000 and 3,000 Styrofoam trays are used daily, but students aren’t willing to give up their freedom to take food out of The Main to prevent the excessive use.

Paper and paper board, which are in the same category as Styrofoam, fills 31 percent of landfills, according to U.S. Municipal Solid Waste Disposal.

Flores said the Dining Services Committee is striving to make the student body more aware of the problem. By ensuring that students are aware of the damages Styrofoam does to the environment, it will enable them to make good decisions, he said.

“It is ultimately up to the students,” Flores said. “They say they want their food to go, but then you see them eating in The Main.”

Flores said he even approaches students that use Styrofoam trays while eating in The Main, but he often gets the reply that they changed their mind.

Leo Newland, director of environmental services, said the problem lies principally around the fact that Styrofoam doesn’t disintegrate easily, so if The Main used some other type of to-go box then it would help keep landfills from overflowing.

Flores said the issue has been addressed in years past. Before he arrived to TCU, the Dining Services tried to enforce Styrofoam recycling, but were unable to overcome obstacles, he said.

“It didn’t go off well because you could only recycle Styrofoam that was completely clean,” Flores said. “It absolutely couldn’t have food in it, and students weren’t willing to do that.”

Flores said the dining facility tried to use compactors that would separate the Styrofoam, but the Styrofoam couldn’t be contaminated in any way, and it was nearly impossible.

Flores said that most universities don’t have the availability of taking food out of the cafeteria, and because TCU does allow it, it’s a give and take relationship.

“The issue is to decide what is more important; it’s a tough call,” Flores said. “It’s impossible to completely get rid of Styrofoam, because the demand of having the luxury to take food out of The Main is a high priority to the students.”

Tom Trafton, assistant food service director at Trinity University in San Antonio, said students at Trinity are allowed to order food to go, but they use Styrofoam minimally.

Instead, Trafton said that they use paper plates and plastic containers, but only about 25 percent of students ask for items to go.

Flores said the main reason Styrofoam is used is because no other type of container can keep items hot or cold as well as Styrofoam.

Trafton said he agrees that Styrofoam maintains heat better, but it’s a decision the university made.

Diane Sullivan, food service director at the University of Texas at Arlington, said the students there can also take food to go, but they use recycled Styrofoam.

Flores said, unlike UTA, TCU doesn’t use recycled paper in The Main, however, Pizza Hut and Starbucks do. Flores said he would be interested to find out how UTA uses recycled Styrofoam.

“We realize there’s a problem, but the issue needs to be directed by the student body,” Flores said. “If we eliminated Styrofoam, students would be unhappy, because they are accustomed to taking food to go and they like the availability.”

April Gonzalez, a junior interior design major, said the reason she uses the containers is primarily due to convenience.

“I guess I just assume, that my one (container) isn’t going to harm the environment, but I didn’t realize there are so many used daily,” Gonzalez said.

Chris Mattingly, a sophomore international finance major who is a sub committee chairman on the Dining Services Committee, said the key is to get the student body to act.

“We can’t do it on our own,” Mattingly said. “It takes the effort of the entire school.”

By raising an awareness of the amount of Styrofoam used, the use of it would be reduced, Mattingly said.

“Students have to make the push to be environmentally conscious,” Mattingly said.

Jessica Cervantez
j.s.cervantez@student.tcu.edu