Univ. of Pitt limits number of plastic bags students can take

PITTSBURGH—Liza Boulet’s concern over this wastefulness spurred her “Bring Your Own Bag” initiative, which aims to reduce plastic bag usage at the University of Pittsburgh through a bag quota policy starting Feb. 3. Boulet, the student sustainability coordinator for Pitt’s Department of Housing and Dining Services, and Jess McDonald, the student sustainability coordinator for Sodexo, partnered to develop the project.

To notify students about the new policy, Boulet and McDonald, both senior environmental studies majors, have tabled in Litchfield Towers Lobby and near the Quick Zone under Towers since Jan. 15, put up signs near the cash registers in University dining facilities and created a Facebook event. They plan to table in Sutherland Hall and the Cathedral of Learning, and they have an interview with WPTS Round Table to spread the word about their project this week.

The policy limits students to 15 free plastic bags per semester at University dining facilities, including Quick Zone stores in Towers and Sutherland Hall, Oakland Bakery and Market and the food courts in the William Pitt Union, Petersen Events Center and Cathedral of Learning.