By Anna Moore, CG Lifestyles and People

Mom always said, “Clean your plate,” but how often do Ohio University students finish all the food on their dining hall trays?

Students waste a number of items each day in the dining halls. Photo by Anna Moore

It is hard not to notice the mountains of fully dressed salads, barely nibbled sandwiches, and beautiful unpeeled bananas that meet their demise on the tray return conveyor belt.  The waste generated by Ohio University’s dining halls is more than just a bite-sized problem. Even with a new compost facility and the purchase of biodegradable containers and utensils, OU still wastes considerable amounts of food.

In order to measure how much students waste at meals, the OU Office of Sustainability conducted dining hall waste audits in the fall of 2009 to collect data and educate students about food waste. A baseline was collected, and then sample sizes, which are smaller portions, and tray-less meals were served to see if there was a difference in the amount of waste.

The themed dinners showed little variation in accumulated waste. According to the 2009 Food Waste Audit, the average student wastes about 5 ounces of food per meal. That looks like 4 granola bars, a chicken breast, or a whole baked potato. Students may feel entitled to take more than they can eat, since they want to get their money’s worth.  However, taking advantage of a meal plan and wasting food are not the same: throwing away food is throwing away money. In fact, the costs of meals in dining halls may even be reduced if less food was thrown out.

OU Dining Services recorded that 67 percent of the student body are on the “Flex 14” meal plan, which costs $1,690 per quarter, or $5,070 per year. A “Flex 14” student is allotted two meals a day for $6 each. This becomes $84 a week to spend on dining hall meals or in the university markets. Reducing food wasted by even one dollar a meal could save $14 a week, or $154 per quarter. Nonetheless, such cost reductions could only come about with a large group effort, and students don’t seem interested in changing their ways.

According to Rich Neumann, director of Residential Dining, “It is safe to say that students throw away at least $250,000 worth of food a year.” When asked about an a la carte style of dining hall to try and eliminate wasteful habits, Neumann stressed that “if we did go to this system, millions of dollars would need to be spent to redesign the dining halls,” and with university funds already spread thin, such a proposal seems unrealistic.  University dining polls have shown that the a la carte option is unpopular among students.

In contrast, the dining hall staff works very hard to reduce their waste and prepare food efficiently. OU has been ranked “one of the most efficiently operated college dining services in the nation,” according to the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) benchmark study, which included 174 universities. No matter how wonderful the dining services may be, they are unable to control the actions of the students.

How do the students feel about the issue? When asked how they feel about food waste, many students showed concern: “It is an excessive problem, but it is hard to judge how much you want to eat.” Most students are aware of the food waste, and some shamefully admit to being a part of the problem. Others, like Tyler McCalla, seem unconcerned by saying, “Since it is a buffet, I get whatever I want.” However, a few are not afraid to take their leftovers with them. Sean O’Leary fights waste by taking his apples to go. “I try to clear my plate and take some with me. It is kind of sad to see that people waste their food.”

Is an endless line of food waste a reflection of this generation? Will we keep coming back for seconds, or will we stop wasting food and money? When your mom said, “Clean your plate,” she was on to something. Remember, Mom is always right.