Students for a Sustainable Stanford

Zero-Waste Project

During fall quarter of 2017, our project group worked to eliminate the use of red Solo cups in undergraduate residents in favor of compostable alternatives. We coordinated with the housing managers of several Greek organizations and self-ops to encourage and subsidize the purchase of clear, compostable cups to replace the Solo cup, an icon of college drinking, with a more eco-friendly standard.

*Original service initiative proposal: According to this Reddit post, college students in America go through over a billion solo cups each year! Solo cups are made out of #6 plastic (polysterene - the same thing packaging peanuts are made out of), which is not always readily recyclable and can leak styrene, a human carcinogen. Moreover, it is very unlikely that Stanford students consistently sort these cups from other trash when cleaning up after a party, meaning that Stanford's nightlife may be contributing a significant amount of dangerous plastic to landfills! To address this very ~unsustainable~ issue, this service initiative could partner with Greek organizations to discourage the purchase and use of plastic solo cups and could provide compostable cups instead, either directly or by stocking them in marketplaces around campus. These cups could be thrown away along with food in the compost bins of house kitchens and dormitories; eventually, they will safely and sustainably turn back into earth that the Stanford farm uses to grow its produce. This change, as simple as switching out one type of cups for another, could contribute to a campus-wide paradigm shift towards sustainability as a mindset & lifestyle, rather than something you do on special occasions. It would also bring Stanford closer to its goal of carbon neutrality. If successful, the initiative could also be spread to other college campuses to help reduce the aggregate plastic waste of college students. Also, the compostable cups are clear, which helps people drink safely. :)