Reduce Waste: Lose the Cafeteria Trays

Put down that tray, Snow White; studies at universities have shown that diners think twice about loading up on food when they cannot carry it so easily. This reduces waste, helps the campus bottom line and the students' waistline. According to Inside Higher Ed, “More and more campuses are looking at this from both an environmental perspective and an economic one,” said Varun Avasthi, director of dining services at Colby College, which experiments with trayless policies. “If you’re not wasting as much food you’re not buying as much food.”

At Alfred University, food and beverage waste dropped between 30 and 50 percent, totalling 1,000 pounds of solid waste and 1123 gallons of liquid waste every week.

Students aren't happy, arguing that it is none of the college's business how much food they take.

“Unfortunately, there are some habits that need to be broken,” said Avasthi, who is also Maine’s district manager for food service provider Sodexho. “There are logistical issues, sure. Students don’t want to go back up and get another glass. That’s where the pushback typically occurs. It’s a convenience factor. We’re so used to having everything all the time whenever we want it.” ::Inside Higher Ed via http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2008/01/30/a-novel-way-to-cut-waste-lose-the-cafeteria-trays/?mod=WSJBlog