USEFULL containers are now available at over 50% of dining hall locations on campus, but some students say awareness and convenience remain challenges.  

Pitt’s reusable USEFULL containers are an alternative to disposable food packaging. According to the University Times, checkouts increased by 227% between January 2025 and January 2026. Most students said they recognize the improved sustainability but find that the checkout system is not commonly understood across campus. 

Introduced in January 2025, USEFULL replaced Pitt’s previous green plastic container system, which operated under the “Choose to Reuse” program. Under the old system, students exchanged a physical token for a container and returned it through an OZZI machine to receive another token. 

Emma Ray, sustainability director for Pitt Eats, said USEFULL has helped conserve more than 57,000 gallons of water, divert over 2,000 pounds of waste and prevent more than 6,400 pounds of emissions, according to calculations from USEFULL.

Ray said the department emphasized ease of access when designing the system’s implementation.

“Returning containers on time can also be a behavior change, especially for students with busy schedules,” Ray said. “That is why we’re focused on expanding return locations along with checkout locations and continuing education through tabling, marketing and campus engagement.” 

Some students who have used the containers said they find them helpful and a good option to promote sustainability. Tashi Wangchuck, a first-year studying pre-nutrition sciences, said her experience using the USEFULL containers was seamless. 

“I think it’s pretty simple. It’s really not difficult. You just get the container and return it when you’re done,” Wangchuck said. “I had no issues with the checkout process or return process on the app.” 

Eddie Frick, a first-year anthropology major, said the containers are better options for sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

“Students can use them and don’t have to buy Tupperware, which saves money,” Frick said. 

Roman Tikoyan, a first-year engineering student, said he considers the USEFULL containers a hassle due to the short rental timeframe. 

“I see it as an inconvenience because you can only hold it for, like, 48 hours before you have to turn it in,” Tikoyan said. 

Other students said they were unfamiliar with the USEFULL system. Rushil Gupta, a first-year computer science major, said he does not know where they are kept or how to get them while acknowledging their benefits. 

“Maybe if they put up a sign that says, ‘USEFULL bowl,’ I could identify and then know where to get the bowl,” Gupta said. 

Coca Bernard, a first-year student studying engineering, said the containers would be useful for people that want to eat outside of dining hall hours, but only if more people were aware that the bowls existed. 

“I think maybe just making it more accessible, maybe, like putting them around more places instead of just the exit,” Bernard said. 

Nathaniel Becker, a first-year biology major, said the sustainability containers may be helpful for some students, but he finds them difficult to use because of their size.

“I can’t fit them in my fridge at my dorm, so I don’t use [the containers]. I have a small fridge, and I think a lot of people do, so that might be why people don’t use them,” Becker said.  

Ani Ilam, a first-year molecular biology major, said she has not used the USEFULL containers because she preferred to not carry them around.

“I never really thought about it too much. It was always easier to come down here and not take [the container] back up to my room,” Ilam said.