Sustainability

Our Initiatives

SUNY New Paltz Dining Services has introduced various measures in its operations that serve to preserve and protect the environment such as recycling paper, cardboard and our used cooking oils, and locally sourcing our produce whenever possible.

Initiatives we have implemented at SUNY New Paltz are:

• The WasteWatch REUSE program has been implemented at Peregrine Dining Hall and Element93 for Grab & Go meals. WasteWatch REUSE replaces single-use disposable containers, flatware and cups with reusable ones. Click herefor more information.
• Our catering department has transitioned from black plastic disposable to all white disposable which is recyclable in Ulster county.
• All our dining services recycle corrugated cardboard, tin, plastic and glass. We also recycle our kitchen grease through a 3rd party vendor.
• We partner with local farms during the summer to support the local produce economy. All our summer apples are from local farms near New Paltz. We also partner with Winter Sun Farms in order to provide fresh frozen local veggies throughout the academic year.
• We have replaced all plastic straws on campus with compostable straws made from corn in an effort to reduce our plastic waste and impact on oceans and landfills.
• The Starbucks on campus has their own plastic straw initiative. They replaced straws with straw-less lids in an effort to reduce plastic waste. This is part of the company's global plan to be more environmentally friendly.

Food Recovery Verified

Food Recovery Network is grateful to have SUNY New Paltz Dining Services in our network and is excited to verify that we are alleviating food waste by feeding hungry people. SUNY New Paltz Dining Services is doing its part to reduce food waste and fight hunger. Click here to see more about Food Waste at

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Sustainable Food Committee

We have partnered with Greenway, a local composting company, to turn any of our food waste into compost.

Local Suppliers

We proudly purchase products from local suppliers like Minard Farms, Dressel Farms and Wrights Farm to feed students and guests while supporting the local community.

Xprss Nap

XPressnap dispensers are another solution to reducing energy and waste. They use 30% less paper than traditional napkin dispensing mechanisms. The great thing about these dispensers is that they help the environment while helping to keep costs down. The napkins are made of 100% recycled paper and the dispenser will encourage customers to take (and waste) less napkins. Energy is saved because less power is used to recycle paper products than to create them from virgin material. According to Xpressnap, enough is saved through using recycled napkins to power 600 American homes for an entire year! More than half a million gallons of oil were saved ‘ 38 tanker trucks worth ‘ and 41 tons of pollutants were kept out of the environment. Using recycled napkins diverted 4,131 cubic yards of paper from landfills. This is enough to cover a football field with a stack of paper two and a half feet deep.

Apex

APEX combines technology and products designed to save water and energy, minimize the impact of products on the environment, and has a built-in method of measuring results. The APEX management approach uses a tablet PC and wireless technology to communicate with the system’s controller to download, process and analyze data to establish each foodservice operation’s “rack-to-guest ratio.” By monitoring and improving this ratio, the system helps reduce the amount of water and energy used at each facility, and improve total operational efficiency.

All locations will benefit from using less water, energy and labor, thus minimizing their operations' overall environmental impact. In addition, the Apex system further supports Dining Services' sustainability initiatives with non-caustic chemistry and 95% less packaging material than current methods. Apex products come in a compact solid form that significantly reduces transportation shipments compared to bulkier liquid detergents.

WasteWatch REUSE

New Paltz students will now be able to dine on the go while minimizing waste! Students enrolled in a dining plan will participate in the WasteWatch REUSE program at Peregrine Dining Hall, Element93 and the SUB. WasteWatch REUSE is a reusable container program designed to reduce waste by replacing single-use disposable food and beverage containers with reusable containers.