I worked on drafting survey questions last week to evaluate the Eco Clamshell Pilot Program and have come across some issues with the program that have emerged the longer the program has been operating. One of the main issues I have identified is the problem with rinsing the container before returning it to the Market Place. Dorms have kitchen sinks, but they don't have garbage disposals to remove the left over food, resulting in a build up of old food clogging the drains. Even worse, some students are rinsing their containers in the bathroom sinks, whose drains aren't even large enough to allow the food to go down the drain. This is putting a strain on the cleaning staff who is forced to pick old food out of the drains on a weekly basis.

There is one clear solution to this problem: having students take their container to the cashier to get a token, and then dropping their container on the conveyor belt to be rinsed and washed by dining hall staff. There is one main problem with this solution. The program is still limited to a certain number of people, and under this system we cannot be sure that unenrolled students will not use other members' "returned" containers to get a token for themselves. As soon as the program is open to the whole campus, this new system will be an easy fix to eliminate the need to rinse containers before returning them.

I have started reading through the survey responses and many people have identified the issue of washing the container as the most major deterrent and inconvenience with the program. Many people have come up with possible solutions to help solve these issues. I expect to analyse the surveys in 2 weeks and in the mean time, I am drafting questions for interviewing the dining staff.

Emma Sorrell