Students, staff, and faculty can all participate in the Choose to Reuse program. Upon signing up either in person, on the website, or via Grubhub, you can then start checking out reusable containers at any participating location. ReusePass makes checking out a container similar to getting a book from the library! At a dining hall: Upon approaching the cashier stand, you can pull up the ReusePass QR code on your phone and let the cashier know you would like a reusable container. They will scan your pass and the code on the container, then you are good to go! Using Grubhub: At participating locations, you can elect to use a reusable container instead of a compostable one while crafting your order on the app or at a Grubhub kiosk. Then once you get a notification that your meal is complete - you can expect to find it in a reusable container!

You can join the program in several ways: 1) The ReusePass website: Navigate to reusepass.com/uva and input your UVA email to join. 2) Grubhub: Use Grubhub to order a to-go meal from a participating dining location by selecting the ‘Choose to Reuse’ when ordering. Before placing your first reusable to-go order in Grubhub, you’ll be asked to acknowledge the terms and conditions of the program. Once you’ve acknowledged the terms and placed your first reusable to-go order, you’ll get access to your ReusePass account. From there, each time you order to-go at a participating ‘Choose to Reuse’ location, you’ll unlock your personalized ReusePass QR code on the Grubhub app. 3) In-person: The UVA Green Dining team and ReusePass Ambassadors will be holding frequent tabling events to help folks sign up, and to share stats on how the program is supporting our sustainability initiatives! Keep an eye on our socials or join our newsletter to be the first to know when we are holding events - you may even have a chance to win some prizes!

ReusePass is a web application that helps you track and manage which reusable containers you need to return. When you place your first reusable to-go order via Grubhub, a ReusePass account will automatically be created for you. You can access your account at any time by going to app.reusepass.com/uva and logging in using your cell phone number. You can also access your account through the GH App. Go to Orders at the bottom of the App, select any order you have placed at a participating Choose to Reuse location, then select Track your Containers. This will take you directly to your ReusePass.

Once you check out your first container, you’ll receive an SMS from ReusePass with details on how the program works and a link for how to access your ReusePass account. You can reference your ReusePass account to see a full record of all the containers you’ve checked out, when they are due back, and if you’ve missed any due dates.

Reusable containers can be returned to collection bins at any dining hall and Gaston Food Hub. Simply compost remaining food scraps and drop your empty container in a ReusePass return bin on campus - no scanning necessary! Once returned, the dining team will collect, sanitize and scan-in all returned containers. Containers are typically scanned in by the dining team within 48hrs of drop-off, but it can sometimes take longer, especially over the weekend. If you’ve dropped your container(s) in a return bin on or before the due date, don’t worry, you’ve done your part! 🌟 Pro tip: You can see container due dates and find ReusePass return bin locations by navigating to your ReusePass account and clicking on “see return locations” in the top right corner.

Containers that are shown under the “Due soon” section of your ReusePass account are containers you have recently checked out that are still within the 3-day checkout window and have not yet been scanned in by a team member. Containers that have not been returned by the end of the 3-day checkout window will be marked as late. Don’t worry, late doesn’t mean charged! Once a container is late, you have 48 hours to return it. Containers that are not received by the end of the late window will be liable for an $7.00 charge. Charges will be deducted from student accounts two weeks after the checkout window was opened.

Late charges will be processed two weeks after the checkout window was opened. Fees will be charged charged to Cavalier Advantage.

The 3-day window exists to encourage participants to return their containers in a timely fashion, so they can get washed and reused. This means we can serve the same number of students with fewer containers! It ensures the efficiency and workflow of the Reuse program, helping to create a healthier and happier planet. 🌎

UVA's reusable containers are no longer microwaveable. We have introduced RFID technology into the tracking process to improve the program. If you need to reheat food, please empty the food into a microwaveable container.

Accidents happen! If a container breaks, take a picture of the QR code on the container and send it to your campus dining team or your campus ReusePass SMS number. From there, please go ahead and return the broken container by the due date in a designated bin! It’s important to return broken containers on time so we can give you credit for reusing! The dining team will use the QR code on the container to mark it as broken so they can understand the lifespan - and environmental impact - of each container, and then properly recycle the material!

Great question! You don’t need to keep track of the exact containers you’ve checked out each day, any container of the same type due will count as a return. For example, if you have 5 large to-go containers at home and 1 is due today, you can return any one of them to complete your rental :)

Electing to use a reusable container for your meal supports UVA's sustainability efforts in many ways! Last semester, students participating in the ReusePass program around the US helped save more than 53,800 lbs of waste from going to landfills, conserved more than 361,400 gallons of water and saved nearly 375,900 lbs of GHG emissions from going out into the atmosphere. That’s HUGE impact! Reusable containers help us to reduce our waste profile on Grounds. As of 2023, UVA Dine alone composted more than 343 tons of food waste and compostable containers. While it is great that these items aren't going to the landfill, the most environmentally friendly option is to use containers with a longer lifecycle. Remember that the term "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" is in order from highest to lowest impact! Interested in learning more about sustainability on Grounds? Check out the 2023-2024 UVA Annual Sustainability Report.