Eco-friendly Food and Beverage Containers
Saving the environment one meal at a time
Styrofoam, be gone! As part of Affinity’s ongoing commitment to green living, the cafeterias at Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Calumet Medical Center in Chilton are beginning a conversion to eco-friendly food and beverage containers. These products are made from rapidly-renewing sources such as corn and sugarcane, rather than from non-renewable fossil fuels such as petroleum that can strip the earth’s resources and clog our landfills. Clamshells used for take out on the hot food line and salad bar will be the first substitution at Mercy and St. Elizabeth.
“According to the manufacturer, when the eco-friendly containers are thrown away and processed at a commercial composting facility, they’ll biodegrade in 45 to 90 days,” says Elizabeth Jensen, director of support services for St. Elizabeth Hospital. Considering the three hospitals combined use more than 475,000 food and beverage containers in their cafeterias each year, the environmental impact is significant. “We’re very excited to be doing our part to reduce waste in our local communities.”
In addition to swapping Styrofoam for earth-friendly materials, Calumet Medical Center is increasing its reusable, washable dish supply, aiming for less garbage overall.
According to Eco-Products®, the Boulder, Colorado-based supplier of the green containers, Affinity is joining other organizations throughout the country to make an impact on the environment. In one year, Eco-Products consumers save:
- 150,000 gallons of gas – enough to drive around the earth 181 times
- 7,380 pounds of greenhouse gases
- 504,326 kW hours of energy - enough to power the average American household for 10 years.
