A pilot project by the Main Campus Residence Council’s Green Team made students eating at the West Campus cafeteria practice tray-less dining one day a week in an effort to reduce waste and energy consumption on campus.

The project began as a response to concerns about food waste in campus cafeterias. Every 1,000 meals served tray-less saves roughly 2,000 gallons of water, with an equivalent energy savings between 1.8 to 4.4 cents per tray. Student response to the project seemed largely hostile, with students complaining about the restrictions tray-less dining places on those who are trying to dine quickly.

The reasoning behind the tray-less dining plan is sound, as it obliges students to make careful decisions about which food to chose, and limits their ability to carry multiple plates—some of which might go uneaten.

However, the underlying causes of cafeteria food waste indicate that other avenues should be pursued to cut back on wasteful consumption as well.

Tray-less dining isn’t inconvenient because it forces students to make multiple trips for food, but instead because it forces them to wait in multiple lines.

Faster service times would discourage students from feeling pressured to load up on several meal options at once.

Uncertain food quality also encourages students to take more than they can eat, reasoning that at least one or two dishes won’t be as appetizing as they look.

Ensuring that food options are of consistent quality would help students have a little more faith in eating one plate of food, not half-eating several. This includes ensuring more healthy options are available to students.

It’s also important to consider the contribution that a buffet-style cafeteria makes to food waste. Other universities use a limited meal plan, where students are charged a meal for a pre-set amount of food.

While this approach doesn’t accommodate those who may have especially large or small appetites, it helps ensure that meal sizes are consistent and that less food goes unconsumed.

Tray-less dining is a good idea on its own; properly applied, it could be even better.