Measuring the Waste

Every day, enormous mounds of soggy Lucky Charms, 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 figures show that first-years 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 waste to a location where first-years could easily see it, was enthusiastic about the results of the study thus far.

He said that between Monday and Thursday, the Union-goes reduced their waste output from 3/4 to 1/2 pound per person per day.

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

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

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

In contrast to Union-goes, those who eat at Quincy House seem to waste relatively little food.

Tommy B. Mercier, productions supervisor at Quincy House said that his house wasted the least food this week.

"The students are starting to pay attention and read the board," he said. "I think they take a little bit of everything, but not a lot. It's better that way."

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

The lowest amount of food waste has been determined to take place at breakfast, with lunch and dinner boasting results that are at least twice as high.

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

Higher participation at lunch and dinner and heavier food contribute to the greater amounts of measured waste.

Students have responded with mixed feelings about the results of the audit and the general idea of weighing food left uneaten.

Many students have given an obligatory glance in the direction of the trademark carrots and proceeded to pile their plates high with breads, brownies, and whatever food happens to strike the individual fancy.

Said John R. Connolly '96, "I know zero about it, I'm pro-waste, and I'm totally unaffected by this audit."

The Currier resident said he was not surprised by the Union results. "We all knew the freshmen were the least responsible of the Harvard students."

But a majority of students interviewed yesterday said they have taken the time to read the audit posters and are making an attempt to take one less dessert and force down that last piece of chicken.