Reducing plastic bottles at Sherman Center Cafe

Say so long to plastic bottled beverages at the Sherman Center Café. Starting this summer and evolving over the coming academic year, the café operator NexDine will begin replacing plastic bottles with glass, aluminum or cardboard alternatives.

"We asked NexDine to begin eliminating plastic from our coolers, so we can work toward a more sustainable and environmentally conscious approach for beverage offerings,” said Kortni Wroten, sustainability and energy manager at UMass Chan. “While it’s important that we continue to recycle plastics on campus, a better long-term solution is to reduce their usage. We appreciate NexDine embracing sustainability and demonstrating our shared commitment toward achieving this goal.”

Alan Rowe, NexDine’s regional district manager, said patrons at the café have appreciated the changes so far.

“We started with many of the current brands, switching to glass or cans. Eventually some products will go away and be replaced with new offerings. We still have a way to go but are well underway with the change,” Rowe said. “It’s been a pretty positive experience overall.”

Once all the beverages sold at the café have moved away from plastic bottles, Rowe said he will turn his attention to the beverages used in catering orders for the campus.