The newly launched TCD Plastic Solutions campaign group is collaborating with the Pav to pilot a new project that it hopes will dramatically reduce the use of plastic by the student bar.
In an email statement to The University Times, Caitríona de Búrca, a spokesperson for the campaign, explained that the Pav will buy durable, re-usable cups that they can wash and keep in circulation. To use the cups, customers will pay a small deposit which will be returned to them once they return the cup.
De Búrca said that the group recognises that this “would be a large undertaking for the Pav” and have said it will only be successful with student support. “In order to reduce our plastic consumption, it’s vital that the students and restaurants work together to reach solutions to the problems that arise”, she said. The deposit scheme is designed to encourage students not to forget to return their cup.
Citing similar scheme across European universities, de Búrca said that they had seen “encouraging results”. She commended the Pav for being “particularly waste conscious” and supporting the campaign.
Last month, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) council voted to pass a motion to support the campaign, which aims to reduce the use of plastic across campus. The campaign’s focus is on eliminating single-use plastics, which received the overwhelming support of council.
With talks to pilot the scheme at the start of the new term, possibly during TCDSU’s Refreshers’ Week, de Búrca said they are optimistic that the scheme “would cut the plastic consumption of the bar dramatically” and “ensure far less single-use plastic is disposed of in TCD”.
Provost Patrick Prendergast has already tweeted his support for the campaign.
