Trayless dining hall faces mixed student reactions
Chelsea Graven
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Starting today, Emerson's dining hall in the Little Building will have a weeklong ban on trays, which business services and Earth Emerson hope will reduce food waste.
Plan supporters say that by not offering trays students will be less likely to take more food than they can eat, and water will be saved by not having to wash trays.
"We're hoping by not offering trays students will grab less food," Earth Emerson co-president Kristen Golden said. "Students will be resistant, but I hope they will go into this with an open mind."
Many students have expressed displeasure with the plan. On the popular social networking website Facebook there is an event urging students to boycott trayless dining hall. "There are far more environmental causes here on campus that should be worked on before we add to the chaos of the overcrowded dining hall," said Lauren Shaw, a sophomore radio major and creator of the Facebook event.
But freshman writing, literature and publishing major Kate Noe said, "I don't see how it's really going to be bad or hard for people. If people can't adjust to carrying less plates then there's an issue with their eating habits. You don't need three cups. You can go back for more if you need to."
In addition to reducing food and water waste, some students may find personal benefits. "At other colleges where they've gotten rid of trays, a lot of students reported losing their 'freshman 15,'" Golden said.
Colleges removing trays from dining halls is not uncommon. Harvard is experimenting with trayless dining halls this month, enacting "Trayless Thursdays" at their Quincy House dining hall. Trays are available only for those who specifically request them. The University of Connecticut is looking into the change, and Alfred University in New York and San Francisco Statue University in California have both banned trays.
To measure the amount of food that is saved by removing trays, Earth Emerson volunteers are spending the next two weeks, one with trays and the other without, weighing the edible food that students put on the conveyor belt after finishing their meal. "It's a lot," Golden said of the food wasted this week.
For the next week students will have to adjust to grabbing less and making second trips. If there is a noticeable reduction in food waste, traylessness may become permanent.