Trayless Initiative Proves Successful
Nov 19, 2009
Food waste studies done last fall (when Dining Services used trays) and this fall (after Dining Services had gone trayless) revealed a significant reduction in the amount of food wasted during meals. The study in 2009 saw a 40 percent decrease in food waste from the year before, totaling 108 pounds of food saved for every 1,000 customers.
There are many variables when conducting food waste studies such as the menu items being served that day. To get a more accurate reading of the food waste reduction, Dining Services took the average of the four plate waste studies that took place since Anderson Commons opened in fall 2007.
Overall, Anderson Commons as a trayless dining facility has reduced food waste by 24 percent or 51 pounds of food for every 1,000 customers. Anderson Commons sees on average 2,900 customers each day. The almost 150 pounds of food saved each day could feed nearly 120 people.
Each year Dining Services gauges food waste by conducting waste studies; one in the fall and one in the spring. During these studies, any food that would normally be disposed of is collected into large bins and weighed.
Anderson Commons became a trayless dining facility during the summer of 2009 in support of the campus roadmap to sustainability.
Read more information about the success of the trayless initiative.
