KU Dining expands sustainability efforts with campuswide cutlery change

LAWRENCE — KU Dining is expanding its compostable bamboo cutlery initiative to all Lawrence campus retail dining locations as part of an ongoing effort to reduce plastic waste and advance sustainability in on-campus dining. 

In the 2024-2025 academic year, KU Dining reported that an approximate 710,000 pieces of plastic flatware from its facilities ended up in landfills. In response, the department began looking for ways to reduce its environmental impact and make greener choices in its operations. 

KU Dining first introduced bamboo cutlery at Courtside Café for the spring 2026 semester. After seeing the project’s success — and a significant decrease in plastic waste at this location — the department made the decision to expand the initiative to all dining retail locations.

“This change has been a long time coming,” said KU Dining Director Lindsay Robinson. “We always knew we wanted to expand our sustainability efforts on campus, and we’ve seen a drastic decrease in plastic waste since making the switch at Courtside. It’s important to us that we do our part for the planet, and introducing compostable utensils is one small but meaningful way we can help.” 

Supplied by Better Earth, the bamboo cutlery provides students with an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic utensils. Better Earth’s utensils are made from sustainably sourced, unbleached bamboo fiber and are PFAS-free. 

The growth of this initiative reflects KU Dining’s continued commitment to sustainability in on-campus dining as an active member of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC). Through MCURC, KU Dining works alongside organizations including the Culinary Institute of America, Stanford University Residential and Dining Enterprises and the Stanford Prevention Research Center to advance overall experience and sustainability in university dining.