Sustainable Dining

Waste Reduction & Diversion

• Bostwick reusable to-go container: Each student has access to one free reusable to-go container in Bostwick Marketplace. When you're done with your meal, you can exchange the rinsed container for a new washed and sanitized one.
• Trayless dining: When Bostwick Marketplace went trayless in 2011, there was an immediate reduction of 150 pounds in waste per day. That program continues today.
• Post-consumer waste diversion: Bison Kitchen diverts a portion of post-consumer food waste, such as coffee grounds, to local gardens.
• Biodigester: A biodigester in Bostwick converts consumer food waste to gray water that is then sent to a water treatment plant, removing the waste from a landfill.
• B-Eats Partnership: Our team donates pre-packaged meals every week to the Bucknell Food Pantry.
• Waste Not 2.0: Chartwells, a sector of Compass Group, has committed to reducing our food waste by 50% by 2030.
• Sustainable Seafood: We have adopted a policy that shifts our seafood purchases away from threatened fish species and toward sustainably sourced supplies recommended by The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.

Sustainable Packaging

Bucknell Dining supports using environmentally friendly supplies, including:

• Recycled, unbleached paper napkins
• Biodegradable straws in all dining venues
• "Tree free" sugar cane pulp plates in retail and catering
  • One single-use plate made from a mix of bamboo and bagasse, a byproduct of the sugar cane harvesting process, and produced with natural fibers from annually renewable resources BPI-certified compostable.
• Eco-Utensils
  • Plantware cutlery is certified compostable by BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute); Made from 100% renewable resources and 100% compostable
• Recyclable plastic beverage bottles and aluminum cans
  • With the addition of the reverse vending machine in the Bison Cafe, students can insert empty bottles and cans to be recycled.
• Replacing plastic with paper packaging at the Bison
  • We use paper compostable to-go containers except for Ciao Bella

Single Stream Recycling

All Bucknell University Dining locations offer containers for single stream recycling, a system in which all recyclable materials are placed, unsorted, into one recycling bin and sorted by processing equipment at a material recovery facility.

Recycling at Bucknell

Local, Sustainable & Humane Sourcing

Bucknell Dining uses purchasing guidelines that place heavy emphasis on locally sourced and sustainable products. We also believe in keeping as much money in our local economy as possible. Therefore, roughly 30% of our food and supply budget is spent locally. The following are examples of some of those partnerships.

• Cage-free Eggs: We only purchase shell eggs that are certified by the Humane Farm Animal Care Program in partnership with the Humane Society of America.
• Countryside Hydroponics: We source our lettuce from this local provider.
• Old Mill Creamery: We source our ice cream for 7th street from Old Mill Creamery, a local favorite.
• On-site Farming: The Bison and Bostwick house indoor Babylon Micro-Farms to grow herbs and greens for use in our recipes all year long. These hydroponic systems use 96% less water and 55% less plastic than traditional farming methods, as well as zero pesticides and zero miles of transport. The farms have on-site compostable growth mediums and planting materials are all recyclable.
• Plant-based menus: Several dining venues feature plant-based options and Bostwick features its very own ‘Rooted’ station with nutritious plant-based offerings.
• Seasonal local produce: With partners from vendors such as Kegel's Produce and Miller's Greenhouses, we can purchase fruits and vegetables from local farmers when their items are in season.
• Susquehanna Mills: Located in Montoursville, Pa., Susquehanna Mills provides all fryer oil used on campus. Not only is this a local purchase but the oil from Susquehanna Mills is part of a closed-loop system that converts waste oil to biodiesel.