Oswego State students voted on a Student Association referendum to ban plastic cups in dining halls.
Students were asked on the SA ballot, “Should single-use cups (clear cold beverage cups) be used in the dining halls?” 52 percent voted no, 32 percent voted yes, and 15 percent voted neutral.
The movement began in spring 2018 with a push from current Student Association President Omar van Reenen.
“The plastic cups initiative has really been Student Association working hard on a topic they feel passionate about,” said Sustainability Program Coordinator Jamie Adams. “We are 100 percent behind them. The initiative has been theirs all along.”
In October 2017, Student Association drafted the Plastic Action for Commitment to Sustainability Affirmation (PACSA). The document states that there is an urgent need to combat the reduction of Oswego State’s carbon footprint. It calls for the termination of “the purchasing of plastic cups used in the dining halls from spring 2018 and beyond.”
Co-written by van Reenen and Lucas Grove, Student Association director of sustainability, PACSA claims that the proposed plastics ban would return Oswego State to compliance with its signed agreement to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).
The ACUPCC was signed by Oswego State President Deborah Stanley in 2007. Through the act of signing, leading college officials agree to progressively eliminate their net greenhouse gas emissions on their respected campus.
According to the PACSA document, 84.5 percent of students believe that plastic cup use in residential dining halls is an environmental concern. Another 79.6 percent believe that plastic cups should be banned.
The PACSA resolution was not passed through the Student Association senate. The resulting vote was 11 against, 10 for and one abstain. The result did not stifle Grove.
“The resulting talk about the plastic cups did result in many positive changes in the dining halls,” Grove said.
Grove said a Student Association survey determined that almost 324,000 plastic cups are used per semester on campus.
Studies conducted through Student Association have shown that 324,000 cups per semester would add 15,056.5 pounds of waste, 123,310.5 kilowatts of power to create and 55,080 pounds of fossil fuels, and 1,982,498.8 square feet of land would not be used if the ban took effect.
Student Association and the Sustainability Office urged students to recognize reusable alternatives. Personal coffee cups or recyclable paper cups were mentioned.
In response to the controversy of the ban, Grove said the removal of the cups is greener in the long run.
“Saying ‘no’ is simply saying one understands that the cups pose no benefit to the person, but the they are detrimental to the environment, so we should remove them,” Grove said.
The Sustainability Office has implemented posters and news briefings throughout campus to inform those on campus about the environmental impact of their dining decisions.
Plastic cup waste removal initiatives have been implemented throughout campus since the introduction of legislature. The use of polystyrene plastic materials has drastically diminished in on-campus dining facilities, such as the removal of plastic bags and plastic condiment holders.
Michael Flaherty, general manager of Auxiliary Services, said his office is trying to understand the rationale behind the initiative.
“I would be interested in feedback from our customers in resident dining centers regarding this initiative,” Flaherty said.
Plastic cups are still available at all dining facilities on campus. Legislature for the ban is in referendum.
Photo by William Rogers | The Oswegonian
