From turning compost into sustainable energy to getting fresh and local produce, Central Connecticut State University Dining has several program initiatives that support sustainability. In both of our resident dining halls, we offer differentiated composting bins for food waste, garbage and recyclable materials. We also have taken plastic straws out of our resident dining halls, Memorial Hall and Hilltop Cafe, but they are still available for diners that need them. 

Xpress Nap Dispensers save energy and waste.  Not only are the napkins are made of 100% recycled paper, the dispensers encourage customers to take (and waste) fewer napkins. Energy is saved because less power is used to recycle paper products than to create them from virgin material.  

Since 2018, CCSU Dining was rated A+ on the Peta Vegan Report Card for the quality of menu options at our Vegan/Vegetarian stations in Memorial Hall and Hilltop Cafe. To view our Vegan menu offerings, download the Everyday by Sodexo app and enter code "F2X42".

Food waste in landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas which is 21x more potent than CO2. (www.epa.gov) Our first priority is to reduce food waste in our dining halls. In order to do that, we teamed up with Quantum Biopower, a sustainable energy facility in Southington, CT. In both of our resident dining locations, Memorial Hall and Hilltop Cafe, we have taken initiative to separate compostable material and kitchen food waste, which is then transferred to the facility and turned into fertilizers for farms, as well as sustainable energy that powers local homes in Connecticut.

We value our partnerships with local suppliers, such as Guida's and FreshPoint, to bring us fresh and local dairy and produce to offer in our dining halls.