About Trayless Dining
In support of the Campus Roadmap to Sustainability, Anderson Commons became e a trayless dining facility in 2009. This initiative is led by Dr. Jim Aageson and the Sustainability task force, the food and waste working groups, Student Government Association, Student Environmental Alliance and President Pamela Jolicoeur. Trayless dining facilities are proven to conserve water, reduce food waste, save electricity and reduce chemical usage. In fact, when trays were removed from Anderson Commons for two days in 2008 food waste was reduced by 109.87 pounds, or 40 percent. Liquid waste was reduced by 7.35 quarts or 43 percent.
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 nearly 150 pounds of food saved each day could feed nearly 120 people.
Article - Trayless Initiative Proves Successful
Top Ten Reasons to Go Trayless
1. Significantly reduced food waste.
2. Saves energy to heat water and reduces our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels.
3. Fewer detergents, solid waste and grease down the drain also improves our local community’s water supply.
4. Reduces the amount of time the dishwasher is running, reducing water usage.
5. Helps guests in Anderson Commons manage portion sizes. This will lead to a positive impact on health.
6. Food will be at the appropriate temperature when guests eat because of less time spent in the servery filling up a tray.
7. There will be less congestion in the servery due to guests filling up a plate rather than a tray.
8. Encourages students and other campus community members to actively
participate in a “green” initiative that has both a personal and community
impact.
9. Helps educate students and other campus community members on the
positive environmental effects that a small change can make.
10. Guests in Anderson Commons will have a better visual experience without the trays. The atmosphere will be more homey.
Facts about Trayless
- Before making the switch to trayless, numerous hours were spent doing research, conducting surveys, speaking with other trayless colleges and making sure that this was the best decision for Concordia.
- Several other colleges and universities across the nation have gone trayless including: the University of Minnesota, NDSU, NYU, Berkeley, University of Illinois and Virginia Tech
- Each tray needs ½ gallon of heated water to clean. Each person will personally save almost 500 gallons of water annually. In one semester, Concordia could save 200,000 gallons of water; enough to fill Prexy's Pond!
- A spring 2008 study of campus diners across 300 colleges and universities revealed over 79% of respondents are willing to go trayless to reduce waste.
- The United States Labor Department claimed that the United States is currently experiencing the worst food inflation in 17 years. Pricing in Anderson Commons is in direct correlation to the cost of food. The less food that is wasted in Anderson Commons, the more likely prices will not have to go up.
- Vermont’s Middlebury College, which is equal in size to Concordia, went trayless in 2007 and saw a reduction in chemical usage by 66 percent.
Sustainability
