Café Q is taking a step towards sustainability by offering reusable food storage containers, according to a Sept. 7 email from Quinnipiac Dining sent to the Quinnipiac University community.

As of Sept. 3, students can purchase OZZI Brand O2GO containers for $5.99 at the cash registers.

The new reusable container program is part of the university administration’s broader effort to minimize Quinnipiac’s environmental footprint.

The program is designed to allow students who purchase the containers to return them to Café Q for cleaning after each use. Students who bring their reusable containers to the dining hall’s designated return bins will then receive a clean container at checkout.

The 7-by-7-inch green plastic containers are approximately two inches deep and feature a snap closure. The one-piece hinged containers are microwave-safe and made in the United States.

However, Matthew Pisani, a first-year civil engineering major, noted that university officials had not included any details about the containers in the original email.

“There are some questions I have,” Pisani said. “Like, is it microwave friendly? How big is it? It doesn’t say in the email.”

Some students questioned the necessity of the new containers, arguing that students rarely have leftover food to store.

“Down here (on the Mount Carmel Campus), it’s first-year students who don’t have a full kitchen, so using the containers, they’re able to keep their food better stored,” said Anna Kaplan, a junior health science studies major in the occupational therapy program. “But I don’t know about purchasing since I don’t really take leftovers. I don’t see a big necessity for them.”

Michael Guillen, a first-year film, television and media arts major, said the price of the containers is his main concern.

“I feel like more people would take advantage of it if you didn’t have that six dollar price tag,” Guillen said. “Six dollars isn’t that bad, but I can just go to Walmart and buy one for two bucks.”

According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, “Data published in March 2022 identified deficiencies in Quinnipiac University’s approach to sustainability.”

Despite this, some students commended the university’s efforts to make the OZZI containers available in the Mount Carmel Campus’ dining hall.

“I mean, it would probably discourage people from throwing out food if they don’t want to finish it,” first-year computer science major Shane Montanez said. “Especially if it’s on a plate, you could just take it to your dorm.”

Even Pisani, who said he still has questions about new containers, praised the initiative.

“I would say it’s helpful for people who don’t have access to store something long-term,” Pisani said. “(As well as) for those people who actually want containers and can’t go off campus and go buy some.”