Reusable challenges disposable!

Relevo filled bowl with lid

Together with our partner Relevo, we want to make a further contribution to sustainability in our university catering facilities. The simple and ecological to-go variants are available in all our canteens and cafeterias in Chemnitz, Zwickau and Glauchau.
Our goal is to gradually reduce the packaging waste generated by disposable tableware. Please support us in this!

If you don't enjoy your meal in our cafeteria or refectory, simply choose reusable dishes and save 30 cents compared to disposable ones.

Thank you and bon appétit.

IMPORTANT BEFORE: Only those who register at the Relevo app or on the website app.relevo.de before placing their first to-go order can also participate in the sustainable reusable system.

Here's how it simply works:

1. registration:

Download the Relevo app from Google Play or the App Store OR use the website app.relevo.de and register for free. Registration is necessary because it is the only way the system can recognize that you are participating in the system and which reusable containers you have borrowed. Only the personal data that is absolutely necessary for the use of the reusable system is collected. For more information on data protection, please visit the Relevo website. The Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau itself does not collect any personal data. Nor do we have access to the data processed through the reservation process in the app.

2. order:

Tell us at the serving counter that you would like to take your food in Relevo reusable dishes. While still at the serving counter, scan the QR code located on the reusable dishes using your Relevo app or the webiste app.relevo.de.

3. check out:

Show the scan confirmation on your smartphone at the checkout in cafete55 & mensa55 in Chemnitz, Mensa Scheffelberg in Zwickau, Mensa Glauchau and in the StraNa and Ring cafeterias to complete your order.

At the serving counters of the Mensa Ring or Mensa StraNa please show the booking confirmation to the issuing staff. The booking of the rental fee of 30 cents will be done there via a separate booking terminal at the counter. Thank you!

4. enjoy:

Whether outside on the lawn, in the dormitory or at work - enjoy your meal with a clear conscience wherever you want.

5. return:

Return your Relevo reusable dishes during opening hours in our facilities or at any other Relevo partner* within 14 days. In the foyer of the Mensa Reichenhainer Straße there is a dish return machine (behind the elevator). In our other facilities Mensa & Cafeteria StraNa, Mensa & Cafeteria am Ring and Mensa & Cafeteria Scheffelberg please use the respective dish return belt. In the Mensa Glauchau, a return trolley for the Relevo containers is available next to the serving area. A clearly visible QR code is placed at each of the return locations. Please scan this code with your Relevo app or the website app.relevo.de before placing the reusable dishes on the belt. If the belt does not work, please hand in the dish to a member of staff after scanning the code.

Please make sure that the Relevo dishes are free of large food residues and therefore visually clean when they are returned. (So feel free to do a quick rinse ;) )
Heavily soiled, molded and therefore no longer usable containers will be reported to Relevo and charged at Relevo's discretion. The same applies to attempted fraud during return!

* In the Relevo App you can find the current gastro partners from all over Germany. In Zwickau, "RON's Selbstbedienungs-Backhaus" is a Relevo provider alongside our facilities. In Chemnitz, all 3 "Nordsee" locations (Chemnitz-Center/Sachsen-Allee/Galerie Roter Turm), "Royal Donuts Chemnitz" and "RON's Selbstbedienungs-Backhaus" are Relevo providers in addition to our dining halls.

FAQs

  • How much does it cost me to use the reusable system?

    If you choose one of Relevo's sustainable to-go reusable options, we will charge you a to-go system usage fee of €0.30 per reusable container borrowed at the checkout. This means you save €0.30 per to-go container used compared to the single-use option.

    To avoid incurring any further costs, Relevo reusable tableware must be returned within 14 days. You will be reminded of the return deadline several times within these two weeks, both by app and by mail. This deadline can be extended once by 5 days in the app. After that, Relevo will charge you €10 climate fee for each dish not returned on time and the dish will be considered purchased. This is intended to enable or ensure sustainable closed-loop use. After all, the dishes should not pile up in the office or at home, but be returned quickly to the cafeteria.

  • Where can I return Relevo reusable tableware?

    mensa⁵⁵/cafete⁵⁵: You will find a dish return machine in the foyer of the Mensa Reichenhainer Straße behind the elevator.
    In our other facilities, please use the dish return belt, except in the Mensa Glauchau. There is a return trolley for the Relevo containers ready at the output. There is a clearly visible QR code at each of the return points. Scan the code, follow the instructions in the app, and drop the dishes and their lids in or place them on the conveyor belt. If the belt is not running, please hand in the Relevo container to a member of staff after scanning. Done!

    Relevo containers can also be dropped off at other Relevo providers in Chemnitz and Zwickau.

    Current Relevo providers next to our refectories and cafeterias in Chemnitz:

    • All 3 "Nordsee" locations (Chemnitz-Center/Sachsen-Allee/Galerie Roter Turm).
    • "Royal Donuts Chemnitz"
    • "RON's Self-Service Bakehouse"

    Current Relevo providers next to our refectories and cafeterias in Zwickau:

    • "RON's Selbstbedienungs-Backhaus"

    You can find the current list of all catering partners from all over Germany in the Relevo app.

  • Do Relevo reusable dishes have to be clean for return? Do I have to wash it beforehand?

    Well, clean is a matter of opinion. Basically, we ask you to put the dishes, including the lids, into the return machine or hand them in at the dish conveyor without any large food leftovers in them. If you have the opportunity to briefly rinse the dishes with water in the office, for example, please do so.
    We collect the dishes in the return vending machine, then wash them professionally in our dishwashers and return the reusable dishes to the reusable cycle hygienically and cleanly in accordance with the latest standards.

  • What material is Relevo reusable tableware made of?

    Relevo's reusable tableware is mainly made of the high-quality plastic styrene acrylonitrile (SAN for short) and the lids are made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomers). Some parts, such as burger and sushi boxes and pizza boxes, are made of recycled polypropylene (PP). All tableware parts come from German production and are in any case free of BPA as well as melamine. Thus, they are perfectly suitable for use as to-go dishes even for hot food. In addition, they are considered very durable, good heat retention and little susceptible to acid (in terms of discoloration).

  • Are the bowls leak-proof? Can they go in the microwave, oven, dishwasher?

    Yes, all bowls are leak-proof and shatter-proof. No statement can be made at this time about the soon to be available burger, pizza and sushi boxes. The Relevo dishes can be placed in the microwave without the lid for a maximum of 2 minutes at 600 watts (Attention: The lids are not suitable for the microwave!!!). All dishes can also be washed in the dishwasher. However, please do NOT heat the dishes in the oven!

  • Why is Relevo reusable tableware and the reusable system sustainable?

    The bowls offered by Relevo come from the manufacturer ORNAMIN and, like the burger, sushi and pizza boxes made from polypropylene by other producers, are produced entirely in Germany. ORNAMIN pays attention to sustainable production and recycles 100% of the reusable tableware after its lifetime by shredding used and possibly damaged bowls and then processing them into new bowls.

    A single bowl from Relevo can be reused up to 1000 times, making it one of the most sustainable ways to eliminate single-use waste.

    While our current disposable packaging has also been selected for sustainability (e.g. compostable), it is rarely disposed of properly separately.

  • Why am I not allowed to bring my own reusable containers and have them filled at the counter?

    Every piece of tableware we put on the market, this includes Relevo's reusable containers, are cleaned in multi-tank dishwashers in compliance with strict hygienic specifications. This process is audited several times a year by in-house and external hygiene audits, and compliance with the appropriate temperatures is documented on a daily basis. Thus, we fulfill the legal requirements regarding the marketing of hygienically impeccable tableware, etc. .

    In our opinion, this safety is not given in the necessary form in the case of containers brought along by the customer (no matter how visually clean they may be), so that the risk of microbiological contamination is significantly increased.

    Although our responsibility is limited to the flawless condition of food "only" up to the filling process, we have the full responsibility for hygienically flawless operational processes.
    The risk of contamination of utensils (ladles, scoops, tongs, etc.), other foodstuffs or the environment when filling containers brought in by customers is no longer controllable for us at this point to the extent that it is our claim and may also be the claim of our guests.