College Cafeteria Trays An Endangered Species

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>TIME: "This fall thousands of students will have to navigate their university dining halls without one crucial feature: the cafeteria tray."</p>

<p>"...cafeteria trays are disappearing, enabling universities and food-service companies to reduce food waste, lower energy costs and make college campuses more environmentally sustainable. The reasoning goes like this: when students are allowed to use trays, they tend to roam around the cafeteria grabbing food with abandon until space on the tray runs out."</p>

<p>The</a> War on College Cafeteria Trays - TIME</p>

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<p>Via Lehigh University's Brown</a> and White student paper:</p>

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[quote]
Trays removed from dining halls to lower energy costs and waste</p>

<p>Lehigh's two main dining halls are looking to reduce waste and energy costs by limiting or eliminating the use of trays.</p>

<p>The Cort in the Lower University Center has removed trays from the dining hall completely, while Rathbone Dining Hall offers trays, but discourages their use. </p>

<p>David Joseph, executive director of student auxiliary services, said the removal of trays from the dining halls was done on a trial basis during orientation. The trial's success resulted in the removal of trays.</p>

<p>"Dining hall trays have been removed, enabling the university to reduce food waste, lower energy costs and make our campus more environmentally sustainable," Joseph said...

[/quote]
</p>

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<p>My school's done away with them as well.</p>

<p>Hurrah.</p>

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<p>My school just got rid of trays this year, except in one dining hall.</p>

<p>It is annoying as hell.</p>

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<p>When I was at CMU in occasionally snowy (and always hilly) Pittsburgh, a popular sport was "traying," i.e., finding a snowy slope and riding a tray down it. Cafeteria trays actually make very bad sleds, but availability (immediate) and price (free if you could sneak it out of the cafeteria) made them attractive on the first snowy day.</p>

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<p>They haven't gotten rid of them at my school, but everything we order is a la carte, meaning that if you get a four-course meal, you will be paying much more than someone with a salad and water.</p>

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<p>We got rid of trays (bad call) at our all you can eat dinning hall. However we go through thousands of Styrofoam containers at every other eatery on campus. Not very eco friendly.</p>

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<p>At my son's school, where there have been no trays since last January, they are now weighing the cost savings of no trays (in reduced food waste and clean up) against the costs of broken plates, spilled cups, and one kids upcoming law suit, since he fell in someone's spilled chop suey (which may or may not have happened had the spiller not been carrying books, two plates of food, two drinks and small plate of desserts, while talking on the phone.</p>

<p>I hate the no-tray idea. If the schools want to start serving family style and one sits down to eat and pass the food, great. Then they can hire some students to clean up.</p>

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<p>I think it's a good idea. I mean a lot of times students grab food to satisfy their eyes until they realize they can't finish it all (at least for me) and it ends up going to waste. Multiply that by 20,000 students and it can really help save wasted food. Yeah it might be a hassle but it'll help you gain less weight in the long run and not throw away something you can't finish :P</p>

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<p>They did away with trays at my S college. I haven't heard any complaints by him so I guess kids figure out a way to deal with it. His school did away with styrofoam and plastic food containers years ago and replaced them with biodegradable containers made out of corn.</p>

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<p>Roger is right - Traying was an intramural sport at Lafayette, perhaps now the Lehigh students will venture to Easton to steal our trays...</p>

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<p>Never heard of this. Sounds crazy! Oh well, I'm not in the dorms anymore, but it would have been such a pain.</p>

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<p>Never thought about the fact that trays may be encouraging students to eat more. Well, trays also make it more convenient for students, and having to carry food without them could pose to be a hassle. A legitimate debate.</p>

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<p>My high school doesn't use trays, so the idea that anyone would seems baffling to me. Why would you eat more than you can actually carry? o.O</p>

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<p>If this is really about "waste", will the cost of the "unlimited" meal plan be reduced? .. At 2200 a semester i would assume the cost of waste is already built into the equation. I doubt the cost of the plans will go down in relation to the "savings"</p>

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<p>Count UVA in ....</p>

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<p>Although my experience as a waiter is paying off, four plates, cutlery and two drinks is nothing to balance. Haha.</p>

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<p>I work at a university that started this policy this year. Although I like it in theory . . . saves food and energy . . . in practice, I hate it. I eat at our cafeterias most days and food is all over the place because instead of falling off plates onto trays, it now falls on counters, floors, the tables . . . it's not only disgusting but dangerous.</p>

<p>Bring back the trays!!</p>

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<p>^Precisely. Seems like every time I eat in the dining hall I step on something and almost fall.</p>

<p>Seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen (or already has, according to others).</p>

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<p>we still have trays at my university, but only about 30% of people use them.</p>

<p>we also have a food court type system, which tends to make people do a better job of only buying what they'll eat. </p>

<p>I think changing the foodplan would be a better way to cut down on waste than taking away trays.</p>