Client Success Story
Montclair State University: A Campus United Through Reuse
At Montclair State University, sustainability isn’t a standalone initiative—it’s part of the campus identity. From first-year orientations to bustling dining halls, reuse has become second nature for thousands of students, staff, and faculty. What began as a pilot with Fill it Forward in November 2023 has grown into a campus-wide movement built on engagement, education, and environmental leadership.
Building Momentum From Day One
The sustainability initiative started with a clear vision from Montclair State University’s Facilities and Office of Sustainability: reduce single-use waste, make reuse seamless, and empower the campus community to engage in sustainable actions while making it accessible. Refill stations were strategically installed across the main campus, and maps were created to help students and staff locate them quickly. Educational campaigns, social media outreach, and informative workshops helped normalize reuse from the very beginning.
The program’s design focused on convenience: students could continue their routines while simultaneously contributing to meaningful environmental impact. By connecting the action of refilling a water bottle to a larger mission, the initiative emphasized that sustainable choices can be simple, routine, and rewarding.
The cultural adoption of reuse was immediate. Orientation leaders introduced first-year students to the concept of tracking refills and reusing, reinforcing the message that every small action contributes to a larger impact. Rocky the Red Hawk, Montclair State University’s beloved mascot, became the face of sustainability on campus. From flyers to social media campaigns, images of Rocky refilling his bottle encouraged students to integrate environmental responsibility into their everyday lives.
Expanding Into Dining: A Natural Next Step
As student engagement grew, Dining Services recognized an opportunity to reduce waste in one of the most high-volume areas on campus. By September 2025, Montclair State University expanded Fill it Forward into their dining halls with the Borrow program. The transition was seamless, leveraging the trust and habits students had already built during the initial phase.
“Transitioning to Fill it Forward was a great decision for Montclair State Dining Services that emphasizes our commitment to sustainable dining. The students love using the app to track their borrowing and have been much more likely to return them on time. We had so much container loss with our past system that likely just ended up in the landfills. Adding the personalized Cupanion Bottles expanded our offerings and completely eliminated the need for plastic-lined paper cups. The Fill it Forward team worked diligently with us during every step of development and implementation of the program. So impressive!”
Jenn Bostedo,
RDN Director of Dining and Wellness
Since launching, the program has made a measurable impact across campus:
- Students have borrowed 7,978 reusable containers and 242 bottles
- 91% average return rate
- 1,494+ students actively chose reusables as part of their daily routine
The program’s integration into dining transformed not only operations but also the student experience. Students now borrow, return, reuse, and track their impact on the same platform they were introduced to as first-year students, creating continuity and reinforcing reuse as a campus norm.
Driving Engagement Through Rewards and Gamification
Montclair State University leveraged the Reuse365 platform to create ongoing opportunities for student participation. Facilities and Sustainability teams designed creative engagement campaigns using Draws. Through the Fill it Forward app’s raffle draws, students could be rewarded with Rocky plushies, branded steel water bottles, or beverage koozies. These small, tangible rewards transformed everyday sustainable actions into exciting, shareable moments.
Interactive gamification reinforced habits: students could track their impact, see their reuse streaks, and compete in friendly campus-wide challenges. By connecting individual actions to visible outcomes and rewards, the program helped cultivate lasting environmental habits while keeping sustainability messaging fun and accessible.
Recognition for Social Impact Leadership
Montclair State University’s achievements have not gone unnoticed.
In 2024, the university received the Changemaker Award, recognizing its innovative approach to social impact and sustainability. The award celebrates organizations that develop new methods to create positive change and contribute meaningfully to both local and global communities.
Montclair State University stands out as a model for how educational institutions can embed sustainability into every aspect of campus life, inspiring students, staff, and the broader community to participate in meaningful, measurable environmental action.
“Fill it Forward is a great solution because it helps us encourage the use of dining reusables on campus and reduce the number of single-use products like bottled water and take-out containers. It’s also a great way to show students that sustainability can be easy. They don’t have to go out of their way to participate, it’s all just part of filling their bottle or take-out container as they usually would. We’ve had the dining component of Borrow in place for a semester now, and folks seem to not only enjoy it but return rates are much more favorable than before. Our next step will be expanding to our Bloomfield campus.”
Adeline Cochran,
Assistant Director of Sustainability
A Culture of Reuse Built Across Departments and Looking Ahead
The success of the program stems from collaboration. Facilities, Sustainability, and Dining worked together to align goals, communicate progress, and celebrate achievements. Students are empowered to make sustainable choices, and these choices are supported at every touchpoint, from the classroom to the cafeteria.
With plans to expand to the Bloomfield campus, Montclair State University continues to extend the reach of its sustainability initiatives. By integrating convenience, engagement, and measurable impact, the university sets a standard for environmental leadership in higher education. They prove that when sustainability becomes a shared priority, it can transform behaviors, reduce waste, and create a campus culture where reuse is not just encouraged—it’s expected, celebrated, and ingrained in everyday life.
See how we support our academic and foodservice partners, or connect with us to learn more.
