Freshmen Try Trayless Dining

The line snaking out of the Annenberg dish return room during Tuesday’s breakfast rush was like that on any other day, with one exception—no green trays.

This semester, freshmen have participated in “Trayless Tuesday Breakfast,” part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Resource Efficiency Program’s Green ’13 initiative.

Over the past few years, schools across the country—including Middlebury College and the University of Connecticut—have at least partially adopted trayless dining plans. These programs are meant to reduce both food waste and water waste from washing trays as students are forced to make more selective choices without a tray, according to Isabella A. Wechsler ’13, a Green ’13 representative.

During these breakfasts, there has most likely been a small decline in water and food waste, according to Harvard University Dining Services spokeswoman Crista Martin, though she noted there are no documented numbers. Green ’13 representative Anne M. Baldwin ’13 said the program’s next step is to measure food waste over the coming month.

Annenberg’s program is part of a larger movement at Harvard, including Quincy House’s month-long pilot “Trayless Thursdays” initiative in 2008 and Adams House’s current trayless Saturday lunches. But HUDS Executive Director Ted Mayer said that going trayless comes with its own set of problems, making it difficult and perhaps counterproductive to institutionalize these changes.

Many students with disabilities, as well as tutors and proctors with small children, need to use trays, according to Mayer.

The physical set-up of many of the dining hall dish returns also inhibits trayless dining, Wechsler said. The conveyor belt in Annenberg as well as many House dining halls are specifically designed to fit trays. Without monitoring, individual plates can get caught and break the belts.

To combat this problem, many houses have put trays by the belts to aid students who choose to go trayless. This Tuesday in Annenberg, a HUDS worker was stationed by the belt to prevent problems, but Wechsler said that Green '13 would not be able to use HUDS workers in this way if it wanted to continue the program next year.

Student response to the initiative has varied, but many said that trayless dining has not impacted their decision to use trays at other meals. Samantha L. Pickette ’13 said she still prefers to use trays because she has trouble having to go back to get drinks and silverware.

But REP member Kurt Tsuo ’11 noted another non-environmental benefit to trayless dining.

“It’s less institutional,” Tsuo said. “It’s a more homey feel.”

–Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu.