The recent implementation of Starbucks coffee in the dining halls is a great idea. It allows students to easily get much-needed coffee and take it on the go. But this contributes to a growing problem at Syracuse University: the excessive use of single-use plastics. Most of the Starbucks coffee cups are single-use plastic cups and lids. This is unnecessary when more environmentally friendly options are available that don’t create the literal tons of excess waste that single-use plastics do.

Single-use plastics are a growing problem, as they don’t fully break down. Once disposed of, they turn into microplastics. Microplastics can contaminate our soil and water, and those chemicals can get transferred to animal tissue, eventually making their way into the human food chain. Only 9% of plastic waste has been recycled, moreover most types of single-use plastics aren’t actually recyclable, meaning that they will sit in landfills for thousands of years because they take so long to decompose.

Exposure to microplastics can hurt wildlife, by accumulating inside their body, leading to organ failure or fatal intestinal blockage. For humans, the chemicals in microplastics are known endocrine disruptors, which may cause hormonal imbalances, reproductive issues and cancer, according to research by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

There are a variety of single-use plastics around SU. The Starbucks cups, plastic lids at CoreLife Eatery and Halal Shack in Schine Student Center, even plastic utensils at dining halls. With a total enrollment north of 20,000 students, the campus community creates a lot of waste. Should single-use plastics persist at SU, it will only contribute to a growing problem that threatens our environment.

The use of so much plastic is ultimately unnecessary because there are realistic alternatives. Instead of plastic coffee cups, dining halls could provide paper compostable cups, which would only cost a little more than a dime per cup. CoreLife and Halal Shack could serve food in biodegradable bowls and lids, much in the same way the popular salad chain Sweetgreen does.

On the other hand, there should be more encouragement for students to use sustainable products. They could bring reusable cups and straws for their coffee. Instead of taking plastic silverware from the dining hall when they get a to-go box, they could keep real silverware in their dorm, which would be easy to wash after use.

In fact, SU should pursue more composting options instead of just sending waste to a landfill. Dining halls already have compost bins, but the majority of dining hall waste still goes in the garbage, not to mention all of the food waste from Schine. Back in 2015, SU scored a 2.28/8 on waste reduction and diversion. This goes to show that we can go a long way in reducing waste, and composting is a good first step.

We can create a more sustainable campus by composting things that are regularly thrown in the garbage. In addition to composting food, SU should switch to compostable to-go boxes, utensils and wrappers.

The solution to single-use plastics must come from both sides — SU and its students — in order to stop the spread of pollution and microplastics. There are realistic fixes that would go a long way to reducing waste on campus, but they require students to make small changes to their lifestyle habits and the university to put more effort into sustainability.

John Hepp is a freshman sports analytics major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jwhepp@syr.edu.

Published on April 5, 2022 at 11:19 pm