No mason jar? No, thank you.

It’s time to revive the reusable jar program at the library cafe

By Ursula Newman

Humboldt has a long history of environmentally friendly initiatives, with sustainable waste management being a priority at the University. In the spring of 2016, the university supported the national campaign, Kill the Cup, that aimed to end the use of disposable cups and promote reusable coffee cups. After that campaign, the Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRAAP), Zero Waste Humboldt and Cal Poly Dining services opted to start selling mason jars. The program was then tracked in a research project in partnership with the Technology and the Environment (Engr308) class, the Sustainability Office and Dining Services. The research from Engr308 can be found on Appropedia.org, under HSU Mason Jar Analysis. The project analyzed the effects of mason jars and disposables, going over monetary costs, carbon dioxide emission and embedded energy, or the energy used to make a product. It was found that within just a few uses, the environmental impact of the mason jar was less than if a user had used paper or plastic cups on those occasions.  

I miss the good old days of the library cafe when you could purchase a mason jar with a lid to-go. At some point, the mason jar program disappeared. I say we bring it back, or something similar to the OZZI boxes for to-go items. 

The affordable price of $0.75 made it a no-brainer for me to get a mason jar. Growing up in Humboldt going to Arcata High, I loved going to the library to do homework, and order a chai tea in a mason jar. The jars were purchased by the palette for about $0.59 per jar, and so even with the low price of $0.75, they generated $0.16 profit.

The Library Cafe is a part of Humboldt Dining, which has several sustainability initiatives such as a composting program, the reusable OZZI boxes, and a certification from the Green Restaurant Association. On their website, they explain that the Green Restaurant Association evaluates several categories — waste and recycling, and disposables are included in that evaluation. The university puts good effort into sustainability, which leads me to wonder why there is no reusable cup option available for purchase at the Cafe — talk about a missed marketing opportunity. 

In March of 2023, I brought it up to the Humboldt Dining retail director Kyle McEdward over email, and he was open to bringing the program back, but wondered if there was a more eco-friendly alternative. His concern was that the glass used in mason jars is not technically recyclable, and wanted to avoid introducing more products into the waste stream.

I had not thought about it like that, as I would never recycle a mason jar unless it broke, which does not happen easily. Mason jars can withstand high temperatures for canning, and so they are a little harder to melt down. However, it seems they can still be recycled. The company Berlin Packaging sells mason jars online, and states that while the lids may not be recyclable, the clear glass can be recycled with no problem. 

The versatility of a mason jar is endless. For students, it’s a practical way to store food and drinks, use as a vase or hold literally anything you can think of. I love mason jars, but my main goal is to encourage students to use a reusable cup. If priced affordably, I believe many people would purchase a reusable option on the spot, similar to what is sold at the campus store. Maybe the university could implement a reusable cup program, and an option exists from the company that the university currently gets its OZZI boxes from. Next time you stop at the Library Cafe, make sure to bring your own cup and take advantage of the discount. But what is the reason for having no cup option for purchase? I see a profitable and sustainable opportunity for the cafe, and a chance to bring back a beneficial program that students and faculty formulated almost ten years ago.

Ursula Newman is a journalism major and Humboldt local. You can find her all over town doing all kinds of things, and talking to all sorts of people.