Of the estimated 11 billion metric tons of plastic that have been produced since the invention of plastic, only 9% has actually been recycled. Plastics end up in our waterways, our oceans, and even in our bodies. An estimated 95% of tap water in the U.S. is contaminated with microplastics.
While plastics provide plenty of value to us in everything from car parts to medical devices, it’s clear that we need to reduce the volume of plastic entering our waste streams. One of the easiest places to start is by reducing the use of “single-use plastics”—those disposable straws, forks, bottles, and packaging products that are used once and immediately thrown away.
This Fall, Fuqua has resolved to take concrete steps to reducing its plastic waste. “Fuqua faculty, staff, and students care about our school’s impact on the environment,” says Chris Shull, Associate Dean of Finance & Administration. “Reducing plastic waste is an area where we can lead by example.”
For several years, Fuqua has been cutting back on single-use plastic water bottles. Every first-year MBA receives a reusable Fuqua water bottle during Orientation, and is encouraged to fill up at water refilling stations throughout the building. This year, however, students returning to campus will also find plastics gone from drink coolers and vending machines.
“Duke Vending and Bon Appetit were happy to work with us to select alternative drinks that come in aluminum or glass containers,” says Shull. Both aluminum and glass are better candidates for recycling than plastic; they can be recycled over and over with minimal effect on material quality and the market for their recycled output is more stable. (That is, of course, provided that students and faculty put them in recycling bins instead of trash cans.)
Shull and the Bon Appetit team, which runs Fuqua’s onsite café and catering operations, are also working to reduce the use of disposable plastic straws, forks, cups, and to-go containers. Licelys Masseria, General Manager of Bon Appétit says, “We are proud to support the Fuqua community’s goal of reducing plastic waste by making changes to our operations.”
Bon Appetit has made more reusable metal silverware available in the Fox Center Café and has replaced plastic clamshells with paper ones. They have also changed the default choices for Fuqua events. Boxed lunches, for instance, will no longer include individual disposable plastic water bottles. Instead, purchasers will opt for individual drinks in aluminum cans and/or 5-gallon Le Bleu water stations.
Shull has also championed changes at the Fuqua-owned JB Duke Hotel, where hotel rooms will now feature drinking glasses and glass carafes for water instead of disposable water bottles.
“There’s more we can do to minimize the environmental impacts of Fuqua’s operations,” says Shull, “but these actions will make a big difference.”
How can you help?
Fuqua faculty, staff, and students can help by returning any metal silverware from the café to the appropriate collection areas in the Fox Center for reuse, and making sure that empty glass and aluminum bottles end up in the recycling bins instead of trash. You can also think about how to incorporate sustainability in any events you are planning this academic year, and remember to bring your reusable water bottle from home each day. Faculty and staff can think about extending the changings to kitchens and break rooms throughout the building by removing plastic cups and replacing them with reusable cups and mugs.
Want to learn more about this issue?
“Think that your plastic is being recycled? Think again.” MIT Technology Review, 2023
“Markets to watch: Alternatives to traditional plastics.” MBA EDGE, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 2023
“The plastic problem isn’t your fault, but you can be part of the solution.” NPR, 2021