While these green to-go boxes have caused me a lot of annoyance, I admire CNU’s attempt to reduce waste. I don’t even want to know how much trash I accumulated last year because of those paper boxes. I’ve also noticed that the trash rooms in the residence halls aren’t piling up with smelly trash anymore, which I’m sure makes the janitorial staff’s job a little easier. The green boxes also have more room in them for food and are easier to carry because of how sturdy they are. 

I’m also honestly a fan of the Reuzzi app. It was easy to sign up and create an account, and I haven’t had any problems with it not working or glitching. It takes a few seconds to scan the code on the box and show the dining staff member the confirmation screen. It’s also kind of fun to get points for returning the boxes. It’s a little added incentive. I also like that if you don’t have time to return your box, your friends can do it for you using their apps, and you’ll still get the points on your own account. 

With all that being said, I still have a few grievances towards these boxes. First of all, I don’t like that the boxes are wet when I go to use one. The water gets on my food and it grosses me out a little bit. Some of the boxes also have annoying clasps that don’t stay closed, which makes it really hard to carry the box across campus back to my dorm. 

But all of this is a better alternative to when there are no boxes at all. If I’m getting a box, it’s usually because I have somewhere to be, and I don’t have time to wait ten minutes for them to get the boxes out. If this happens, they’ll sometimes bring out the paper boxes, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the reusable boxes. The hassle stops me from going to the dining halls sometimes, since I don’t like to sit down and eat alone. I resort to using my dining dollars, which I can usually only use at Chick-fil-A or Einsteins. 

I’m of the opinion that we should be allowed to wash and reuse our boxes, instead of having to return it so soon. It would solve the issue of the dining halls running out of boxes, and avoid them having to bring out the paper boxes again. It’s also just not always convenient to bring back your box every time you visit the dining halls. Most of the time I’m going to eat straight after class, and I don’t want to have to bring my dirty box with me to class. 

All in all, despite my many complaints, I think the green to-go boxes are a positive change on campus and I actually prefer them over the paper boxes. I just think there are a few problems with the execution of it all, which can easily be changed.