Table scraps not wanted

Table scraps might prove to be a valuable source of information: that grilled cheese with one big bite taken out of it and then disregarded will amount to a heap of data for the Recycling Assistants' food waste audit this week.

Volunteers have been collecting plate wastes from dinner and lunch in Dascomb and Stevenson dining halls and weighing the disregarded food. This is the second audit they have conducted this year, with the first coming before Spring Break. The Recycling Assistants plan on two more food audits next year.

Their findings from the first audit showed that students can waste as much as 90 pounds of food at a meal. The data is not yet available for their latest audit, but the Recycling Assistants know that a lot of food is being thrown out at campus dining halls. "If our calculations are right, a lot of food is being wasted annually," said sophomore Allison Oberg. Even with all of the plate waste that the recycling assistants have been recording, they still don't take into consideration what uneaten food is thrown out by the dining hall staff on a daily basis.

A food waste audit was conducted last year by a different organization, Local Community and Environmental Action. The Recycling Assistants did their best to avoid some of the mistakes they felt LCA made in their initial audit. According to the Recycling Assistants, dining hall management and students had some negative responses to the LCA audit. Some felt that LCA volunteers acted in a confrontational manner with skeptical students.

When they first proposed their plan to conduct another food waste audit to dining hall management, the Recycling Assistants planned for a more ostentatious audit. Management balked at a conspicuous, obtrusive audit of the food waste. Oberg said, "We are interested in coordinating with CDS, and not pissing them off, but taking into consideration their wishes." So the Recycling Assistants kept their actions on the down low. At Dascomb, their volunteers work in the dishroom, out of site of the dining hall users. In Stevenson, workers handle trays and offer information to inquiring individuals, but don't advertise their intentions.

Problems with participation have slowed down the recycling volunteers' efforts. "It's been a little rocky in terms of volunteers," said Oberg. Otherwise, the investigation has been promising. "I think it's gone pretty well," said Oberg.

The Recycling Assistants have plans to put together an education program on food waste for both students and dining hall managers. The assistants hope to publish their findings next week.

Want not, waste not: This volunteer is helping to audit food waste levels at Stevenson. Ninety pounds of food per meal is the average waste. (photo by Areca Treon)