The Challenge
Styrofoam containers are cheap and popular among food retailers though the material can cause serious health and environmental problems because of hte compound Styrene, which is a petroleum by-product that is difficult to decompose and expensive to dispose of. Therefore, the university initiated a policy to replace the Styrofoam containers with Bagasse containers.
The Method
This replacement policy was initiated in 2011 and has progressed as follows:
- 2011 – Campus ood retailers were requested to substitute Styrofoam containers with Bagasse containers for all takeout orders.
- 2013 – The university approved food retailers adding an additional 2.5 Baht to takeout orders to cover the higher material cost of Bagasse containers.
The Result
Since 2011, the use of Styrofoam containers on campus has been significantly reduced as the material was substituted by Bagasse containers, adding 2.5 Baht to the cost of takeout orders.
Next Step
The long-term goal is to introduce eco-friendly policies for all disposable materials. The next project is promote the use of fabric bags and reusable liquid cups and containers as alternatives to plastic bags, bottles and drinking cups.
ติดต่อเรา
โครงการ Green Chula จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย 254 ถนนพญาไท แขวงวังใหม่ เขตปทุมวัน กทม. 10330 โทรศัพท์: 02-215-3555