Category Archives: College

Trayless Time of Year

Sad as it may be, the summer is coming to a close. And that means school year is fast approaching, if not already here. On this tab, I’ve been tracking the colleges that have removed trays from all-you-can eat cafeterias in an effort to reduce food waste. Happily, the announcements have been coming fast and […]

August 21, 2008 | Also posted in Trayless | Comments closed

Breaking News: ARAMARK Trayless Study Out

ARAMARK studied trayless dining at 25 college campuses and has just published a white paper on its findings. As you’ll see in the press release, food waste decreased by 25 to 30 percent when trays were removed from dining facilities. What’s even more exciting is that the food service provider estimated that more than half […]

July 24, 2008 | Also posted in General, Trayless | Comments closed

News Day

Across all media, yesterday was a big day for food waste news. First, CBS’ The Early Show had a segment on food waste, echoing an earlier one on The Today Show. Then (MS)NBC ran an AP story on how Americans waste produce. The story had some useful tips on how to avoid losses amongst your […]

July 24, 2008 | Also posted in Household, Trayless | Comments closed

Thursday Buffet

Japan wastes one-fourth of their food, according to Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry. As reported in China Daily, Japan tosses 19 million tonnes of food waste annually (about one-third of which is edible at the time of tossing). That percentage is a bit less than the U.S. (estimates range from one-fourth to one-half and […]

July 3, 2008 | Also posted in Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, International, Supermarket, Trayless | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Seattle never ceases to amaze. The Seattle Food Recovery Initiative is doing wonderful things, including this Hunger Map that encourages and facilitates food donations. The map has helped restaurants like the Capitol Grille do their part. — — Here’s an insightful Hartford Courant editorial, which, I couldn’t help but notice, notes that my alma mater, Wesleyan University, […]

June 6, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Virginia Tech II

Last week, I wrote about a food waste weighing week at Virginia Tech created and implemented by Andy Sarjahani, a soon-to-be registered dietitian. Sarjahani (that’s him pictured below) and other student volunteers weighed the waste from each meal during a week with trays and a week without. After comparing the numbers, they found that removing […]

May 28, 2008 | Also posted in Stats, Trayless | Comments closed

The Weight of Waste

Why remove trays from “all-you-can-eat” cafeterias? To avoid the routine piles of food waste. In April, a student-led campaign at Virginia Tech weighed food waste for a week as a baseline for comparison to a week without trays. What they found, might startle you. Have a look. (Photos courtesy of VT Dietetic Intern Andy Sarjahani, […]

May 22, 2008 | Also posted in General, Trayless | Comments closed

Dish Wish: Don’t Fill It

Folks often ask me how they can avoid food waste at home. After I joke that they can stop buying brussels sprouts, I suggest they serve less food on each plate. (See The Weekly Waste Word category for more tips.)  That way, there’s a better chance diners won’t leave behind uneaten food, much of which isn’t saved. You can […]

May 18, 2008 | Also posted in Household | Comments closed

From Students to Shelters

At schools across the nation, college students are graduating this weekend. In Logan, Utah, that means it’s time for a food drive. Huh? Logan is home to Utah State University and more importantly, many student apartments. Knowing that students moving out will leave behind plenty of good food, Logan’s Environmental Department decided to collect non-perishable food from […]

May 11, 2008 | Also posted in Food Recovery | Comments closed

No Tray Earth Day

The 109 schools listed below all went trayless on Earth Day (4/22). That means that they removed trays from at least one dining hall, cafe, student union or other food service venue to reduce the amount of food waste and energy and water usage. And these are just the Sodexo-supplied schools (well done!) that went […]

May 1, 2008 | Also posted in Energy, Trayless | Comments closed