Campus Round Table on the BYOBag Campaign

On this edition of Campus Round Table, WPTS News Director Matt Singer is joined by Liza Boulet and Jessie McDonald to discuss the “Bring Your Own Bag” or BYOBag campaign. Boulet and McDonald are Pitt’s Department of Housing and Dining Services student sustainability coordinator and Sodexo’s student sustainability coordinator, respectively.

According to Boulet and McDonald, on average, Pitt uses 15,000 bags in one week. In an effort to reduce waste and make the University more environmentally friendly, the BYOBag initiative will charge students who exceed a certain quota of bags.

Starting Feb. 3, each student will be issued 15 plastic bags, with the total number of bags used linked to their student I.D. card. If students use more than 15 bags, they will be charged 25 cents for each subsequent bag used. A portion of that fee will support the Pitt Green Fund, which goes toward student-led sustainability projects on campus.

Boulet and McDonald discuss how the BYOBag initiative came to be, how the project was researched, the planning and logistics that went into its implementation and their hopes for the campaign’s success.