Dining Service Audits Food Waste

Every day, enormous mounds of banana peels, half-eaten apples and rubbery chicken pieces pile up in the dish rooms of Harvard's dining halls.

But this week, as dining hall officials audit the amount of food wasted and post the results on bright orange carrot-shaped charts, dining hall managers and students are finding out what those enormous mounds really mean.

The results of the first Harvard Food Waste Audit are in, and the initial results show that first-year students both take and waste more food than students at any of the upperclass houses, according to Alexandra E. McNitt, project manager for the Harvard Dining Services.

Some students interviewed yesterday said they are paying attention to the signs showing how much food they waste.

"It has made me a little more aware of wasting food," said Eric M. Kelly '97. "I've made a small effort not to take as much and to come back for seconds instead".

So far, the Union carrots show the highest amount of waste, and McNitt said she is not surprised.

"The lines are very long and frustrating," she said. "So I hypothesize that the students don't want to come back to get seconds."

There is also a learning curve associated with age, McNitt said.

"Once students get into the houses, grow up a little more, and have gained 20 pounds from freshman year, they begin to manage themselves a little more," she said.

But John Shaeffer, assistant manager of the Union, said the first-years have made some efforts towards wasting less food, and are not so far behind the rest of the undergraduates.

"By the color of the carrot, we're right up there with the rest of them," he said.

Shaeffer, who proposed moving the tub of wasteto a location where first-years could easily seeit, was enthusiastic about the results of thestudy thus far.

He said that between Monday and Thursday, theUnion-goers reduced their waste output from 3/4 to1/2 pound per person per day.

"I don't think the freshmen waste as much as itwas thought, and I'm really pleased at theresults," he said.

Claudia Y. Sanchez '97, who works at the Union,said she is not surprised with the high first-yearwaste.

"They do really immature things," she said."They play with their food and try to make itharder for us to clean up," she said.

In contrast to Union-goers, those who eat atQuincy House seem to waste relatively little food.

Tommy B. Mercier, productions supervisor atQuincy House, said that his house wasted the leastfood this week.

"The students are starting to pay attention andread the board," he said. "I think they take alittle bit of everything, but not a lot. It'sbetter that way."

Other early results pertain to the varyingamounts of waste at the different meals.

The lowest amount of food waste has beendetermined to take place at breakfast, with lunchand dinner boasting results that are at leasttwice as high.

"There is very little food waste at breakfastpartly because students who go to breakfast gothere with a mission to eat," McNitt said.

Higher participation at lunch and dinner andheavier food contribute to the greater amounts ofmeasured waste.

Students have responded with mixed feelingsabout the results of the audit and the generalidea of weighing food left uneaten.

Many students have given an obligatory glancein the direction of the trademark carrots andproceeded to pile their plates high with breads,brownies, and whatever food happens to strike theindividual fancy.

Said John R. Connolly '96, "I know zero aboutit, I'm pro-waste, and I'm totally unaffected bythis audit."

The Currier resident said he was not surprisedby the Union results.

"We all knew the freshmen were the leastresponsible of the Harvard students."

But a majority of students interviewedyesterday said they have taken the time to readthe audit posters and are making an attempt totake one less dessert and force down that lastpiece of chicken

Shaeffer, who proposed moving the tub of wasteto a location where first-years could easily seeit, was enthusiastic about the results of thestudy thus far.

He said that between Monday and Thursday, theUnion-goers reduced their waste output from 3/4 to1/2 pound per person per day.

"I don't think the freshmen waste as much as itwas thought, and I'm really pleased at theresults," he said.

Claudia Y. Sanchez '97, who works at the Union,said she is not surprised with the high first-yearwaste.

"They do really immature things," she said."They play with their food and try to make itharder for us to clean up," she said.

In contrast to Union-goers, those who eat atQuincy House seem to waste relatively little food.

Tommy B. Mercier, productions supervisor atQuincy House, said that his house wasted the leastfood this week.

"The students are starting to pay attention andread the board," he said. "I think they take alittle bit of everything, but not a lot. It'sbetter that way."

Other early results pertain to the varyingamounts of waste at the different meals.

The lowest amount of food waste has beendetermined to take place at breakfast, with lunchand dinner boasting results that are at leasttwice as high.

"There is very little food waste at breakfastpartly because students who go to breakfast gothere with a mission to eat," McNitt said.

Higher participation at lunch and dinner andheavier food contribute to the greater amounts ofmeasured waste.

Students have responded with mixed feelingsabout the results of the audit and the generalidea of weighing food left uneaten.

Many students have given an obligatory glancein the direction of the trademark carrots andproceeded to pile their plates high with breads,brownies, and whatever food happens to strike theindividual fancy.

Said John R. Connolly '96, "I know zero aboutit, I'm pro-waste, and I'm totally unaffected bythis audit."

The Currier resident said he was not surprisedby the Union results.

"We all knew the freshmen were the leastresponsible of the Harvard students."

But a majority of students interviewedyesterday said they have taken the time to readthe audit posters and are making an attempt totake one less dessert and force down that lastpiece of chicken