Sustainability

Low carbon Coolfood Meals are healthy, delicious choices that have a lower impact on the planet. Coolfood meals have at least 38% lower carbon emissions than the average meal. Switching from a hamburger to a Coolfood Meal once week, for a year, would save greenhouse gas emissions that are equivalent to four flights from NYC to London. Look for the Coolfood badge on the menu to reduce your impact today!

At UK Dining, we partner with UK Recycling to recycle in all dining locations. Visit UK Recycling’s Waste Wizard for more information on what you can recycle on campus.

What is recyclable at each dining location? Check out the list below

Champions Kitchen

• Place all waste on the conveyer belt and we will handle sorting for you!

Fresh Food Company

• Place all waste on the conveyer belt and we will handle sorting for you!

Blue Agave Grill

• Paper Cups
• Paper Bags
• Sauce Cups (cleaned out)

Zen Sushi

• Plastic Bowl and Lids

Starbucks

• Hot Cups and Lids
• Cold Cups and Lids
• Cardboard Cup Sleeves

Chick Fil A

• Paper Cup
• Paper Bags
• Boxes

Auntie Anne’s

• Cups

Subway

• Cups
• Sandwich wrappers

Einstein’s

• Paper Bags
• Cups
• Boxboard
• Sandwich wrappers

Han Woo Ri

• Paper trays
• Plastic bowl and Lid
• Paper sleeve

PJ’s Coffee

• Paper Bags
• Coffee Cups
• Takeout Containers

Freshii

• Paper Bags
• Cups
• Takeout Containers

Blenz Bowls

• Plastic Cups
• Plastic Bowls

Health Hub

• Plastic Cups

One Café

• Cups

We are actively working to reduce food waste on campus through various initiatives.

Food Waste Reduction in the Dining Halls

Removing trays from our Residential Dining locations helps to reduce water and energy, in addition to reducing food waste. Our culinary teams work diligently to plan how much food will be needed during meal periods and creatively use our unneeded food.

Food Donation

When we do have food leftover from meal service or events, UK Dining donates to our local partners that help reduce food insecurity in our community. During the 2023 Football Season, UK Dining donated over 3,000 pounds of food through God's Pantry. In 2023, UK Dining also donated over 2,800 pounds of food to Campus Kitchen to help support our local community.

Composting

As of April 2024, every single UK Dining location is participating in the University’s Compost program (see here). This includes our residential, retail, and catering operations.

Green To Go

Our reusable container program offers guests a sustainable way to enjoy meals on the go! Reusable containers are available for purchase at Fresh Food Company, Champions Kitchen, and One Café. Green to Go containers are a one-time fee of $5.

Promoting planetary health on our path to net zero emissions. Review our Environmental, Social, Governance site for more information!