UNL dining halls to begin trayless dining

In an effort to reduce food waste, improve environmental impact and bring down costs, University of Nebraska-Lincoln dining halls will convert to a trayless system in late March.

The decision to eliminate trays in the five campus dining halls was made official after UNL's student Residence Hall Association voted 30-6 March 8 to support a resolution endorsing the move.

Last fall, RHA urged housing officials to explore the trayless option. Doug Zatechka, UNL's director of housing, said benefits of "going trayless" include reduced consumption of energy, water and chemicals necessary to clean and dry trays, as well as significant food and beverage waste reduction.

UNL dining plans include unlimited access and all-you-care to eat privileges at the dining centers. With the trayless system in place, students can always go back for seconds or make multiple trips, but will be less inclined to load up on unwanted food, Zatechka said.

Research by the food-service company Aramark has shown that universities that have gone trayless experienced significant savings in food and other costs. Campus dining halls held a trial run of the trayless system March 4, and volunteer observers found that beverage waste dropped about 35 percent per person and food waste dropped about 27 percent per person compared to a day in February when trays were used.

The conversion to a trayless system will require some basic changes to dining hall operations. Dish return systems will be retrofitted to accommodate plates instead of trays, and some Dining Services staff will be reassigned to help keep tables clean.

The change will also require an adjustment by diners, who may find that they need a second trip to carry additional food or beverages to the table. Most colleges and universities that have converted to trayless dining reported a two- to three-week adjustment period before the new routine truly took hold, Zatechka said.

RHA officials plan to raise awareness of the changes with posted reminders throughout the dining halls touting the environmental benefits of less food waste and lower energy costs. Also, they plan to tout the new system by handing out T-shirts and other giveaways.

"RHA has shown great leadership on this issue," Zatechka said. "In addition to getting the word out, they've worked hard to explain the environmental dimensions of this change."