OZZI comes to the Lavin-Bernick Center

Students visiting the Lavin-Bernick Center (LBC) on the uptown campus now have more sustainable options for grabbing food to-go between classes.

This week, Tulane University Dining Services introduced the OZZI reusable container program, an initiative to reduce waste caused by disposable food containers. Participating restaurants include Al Fuego, Wall of Greens and Zatarain’s Kitchen.

“The Office of Sustainability, Undergraduate Student Government, Tulane Dining Services and Sodexo have partnered to bring this program to campus,” said Daniella Alvarez, unit marketing coordinator for Tulane Dining Services.

“Since the introduction of the OZZI program, we have saved over 15,658 food containers and 4,573 soup containers from the landfill.”

— Daniella Alvarez, unit marketing coordinator for Tulane University Dining Services

Developed by a Rhode Island-based company, the OZZI system aims to encourage environmentally friendly practices on college campuses.

OZZI containers are composed of recyclable plastic and have been used at Bruff To Go and in the Drawing Board Café since 2014.

The plastic containers were also offered to faculty and staff for the first time as part of the new 1834 To Go program this semester.

When students register for the free program at the beginning of the year, they receive tokens that are redeemable for reusable containers for meals taken to-go. After use, the containers can then be returned to OZZI machines to be cleaned and sanitized. Once students drop off their containers, they can receive a token for their next purchase.

The machines are located outside of the Bruff Commons Dining Room, inside Bruff To Go in Bruff Commons and outside of the LBC Food Court.

“Since the introduction of the OZZI program, we have saved over 15,658 food containers and 4,573 soup containers from the landfill,” said Alvarez. “At 100 percent participation, we estimate we could save an additional 6,000 containers from landfills during the semester alone.”

Through Friday, Oct. 27, students, faculty and staff can learn more about the program and register for free by visiting a sign-up table stationed outside of the Tulane University Bookstore from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first floor of the LBC.

“By signing up, you will receive two tokens that can be redeemed for containers,” said Alvarez.

For more information on the OZZI system, visit the Dining Services website.

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