Food and Dining
Trinity is committed to reducing its environmental footprint in all aspects including the dining services provided on campus.
Sustainability in Dining
Starting in the Spring of 2024, Chartwells is offering reusable take-out containers so you can take food to go, from all three dining locations, in a convenient and sustainable way. All students, staff, and faculty have free access to the program, but students are eligible for a $5 late fee if they don’t return containers within the 3 day rental window.
It’s as easy as:
- Going to http://app.reusepass.com/ and choose Trinity College
- Signing up with your Trinity email and saving your pass to your Apple Wallet or screenshotting it
- Going to Mather or the Bistro and asking the dining attendant for a container
- Opening your Pass so the dining attendant can scan it
- Eating your meal
- Returning the container
- Chartwells cleans the container
- Repeat from step 3
To reduce food waste, Trinity is now offering the FreeEats app. FreeEats allows anyone on campus who has leftover food, whether it be from an event, or just an opened box of cereal in your dorm, to offer that food to the community. Anyone looking for free food will be notified and can claim it.
Help us keep food out of the landfill while also feeding hungry students. Download the FreeEats app and sign up with your Trinity email. Make sure to turn on notifications so you can be alerted when food is available.
Food N Stuff is Trinity’s food and hygiene product pantry. Located on the bottom level of Mather Hall, Food N Stuff provides access for students to food and hygiene products. Please see the Food N Stuff page for more information.
- Buying Connecticut-grown produce when available through Project Green Thumb.
- Purchasing exclusively cage-free eggs.
- Purchasing seafood only in accordance with the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guidelines.
- 100% of coffee in the dining facilities is fair trade certified
- 100% of bacon purchased by Chartwells is gestation crate-free
- Increasing purchase of Greenware (plant based plastic) products that can be composted.
- Installation of urban cultivator for growing herbs and micro-greens.
- Learn more about what Chartwells is doing to support sustainability on campus
Mather Hall, the Bistro, and the Cave, and at Trinity College have been certified as 3 star Green Restaurants.
Please visit http://www.dinegreen.com/certification-standards to learn more about the certification standards.
- Composting program in partnership with Trinity’s facilities management company and Blue Earth Compost.
- Composting is available in all three dining facilities, for both pre- and post-consumer composting.
- Trinity Dining Services is currently working with the community service office to continue participation in the Food Recovery Network.
Students, faculty, and staff can also lead a sustainable lifestyle by acquiring a plot at our community garden. Trinity College’s Community Garden is managed by Trinfo Cafe, a community space connecting Hartford to Trinity College. The community garden is a space where local residents can connect with rest of the Trinity community and build relationships based on mutual interests, like gardening, composting, cooking or beekeeping. Community members can also acquire a plot to grow whatever they like.
Helpful Links
Sustainability Coordinator
Hartford, CT 06106