A recent article in the New York Times looked at colleges who are going trayless. When I was in college there were trays in the cafeteria, and I guess this is something I never considered, but it is much more eco-friendly to go sans trays.

Trays are made of plastic which is made of non-renewable resources. Plus you have all the manufacturing issues – energy wastes, shipping, etc. Then of course there’s the water waste involved when washing the trays. A cafeteria without plastic trays is considerably lowering their footprint. The New York Times also discusses how this in not only an earth-friendly choice, but a healthy choice too, because with a tray students are likely to pile food on it, while without a tray, a student may just carry one plate of food.

Also, FYI, when I was in college, I was a science major and in one of my microbiology classes, we tested objects around the campus for viruses, germs, bacteria, and so on, and you don’t want to know what we found on washed cafeteria trays – super icky stuff! So this is a health benefit of avoiding trays too.

According to the piece, The Sustainable Endowments Institute notes that about 126 colleges have curtailed use of trays. More will likely follow.

What do you think? Is going trayless a cool plan? I think it’s one of those nice little steps that helps to add up to an overall greener campus.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Tray-free cafeterias: healthy & green