Umphrey Lee Cafeteria diners wasted approximately the weight of an adult male gorilla, 453 pounds, of food Wednesday.
The cafeteria began the “Weigh the Waste” program, in which all food disposed by students made its way into a collection for weighing rather than the trash.
Throughout the day Wednesday, the cafeteria collected students’ leftover food. To make the study fair, items such as watermelon rinds, banana peels and apple cores-things that are typically waste anyway-were excluded, Umphery Lee Location Manager Tony Mowles said.
A total of 2,351 patrons ate at the cafeteria on Wednesday, according to the numbers compiled by Mowles. The waste total was 6,768 ounces, or about 453 pounds, which equates to nearly 2.88 ounces of waste per diner.
Mowles said the number was in line with their expectations of 2.5 to 3 ounces per diner, but that they would like to see that number reduced.
“What we wanted to do was to educate the public on how much food is wasted, it really is a lot, about two of me,” Mowles said. “We wanted to do it in a positive light to raise awareness, not be negative and rub it in the students faces with how much food they wasted.”
Mowles said that they will do the study again and hope to use incentives to encourage students to reduce their waste. It is a possibility that theme nights, when the cafeteria picks food and an atmosphere to match a certain theme, could be added if students are able to reduce their waste.
The cafeteria itself is very efficient when it comes to creating as little waste as possible. If food can be safely reused instead of being wasted, the cafeteria attempts to do so. Most of the waste is perishable foods that go bad like fruits and vegetables.
The cafeteria has recently tried to cut down on tray usage in hopes of reducing waste. Mowles said that when students use trays they are more likely to grab more plates with more food, leading to more waste. This was the first semester that the study was done so they have no data to compare before the tray policy went into effect, but “visually there has been a reduction in waste, you can see it,” he said.
The reduction in tray usage was also put in place to reduce the amount of water and chemicals used on a daily basis. The tray reduction policy and initiatives to reduce waste are part of the larger Green Thread program that has been incorporated by Aramark, the food service company that runs Umphrey Lee.
In addition to cutting down on water and chemical usage and food waste, the cafeteria has undertaken other initiatives to help improve sustainability. Mowles said the cafeteria has begun using biodegradable napkins as well as done away with straws because of their lack of bio-degradability.
Mowles also said that part of their sustainability criterion is to stay local with their purchases or grow their own when possible. Many students don’t know that the shrubs in the courtyard outside of Hughes-Trigg, are actually part of a garden where the cafeteria gets some of its spices. He also added that some of the trees around campus grow pecans, which the cafeteria turns into pecan pies.
“We have to do our part,” Mowles said. “We only get one chance and we are trying to do our part to sustain the earth.”
