Caf Controversy: Do Trays Stay or Go?

Last Thursday on the front cover of CHIPS (Luther's weekly newspaper written by students) was an article titled "Trays' Days Are Numbered". The article went on to describe how the student council approved a trial period of 2 weeks sometime during the rest of the semester when the caf will not have trays for students to put their plates, silverware, drinks, or food on.

The idea behind this is that too much food is getting wasted at Luther because people just pile it on their trays without thinking about how hungry they actually are. During the two week trial the amount of food wasted will be recorded so that it can be compared to the amount of food wasted when students are allowed to use trays. Apparently this information will then be used in determining for next year if trays will permanently be taken out of the cafeteria.

The article also claimed that the students will ultimately make the decision about whether or not trays are necessary are whether or not they will be kept. We are all counting on this because I know a lot of people feel strongly about keeping the trays. I know I do. I think the idea behind getting rid of trays is very good, but I don't think that getting rid of trays is the only way to decrease waste.

Just so you know, the trays at Luther are very plain: green rectangles without little compartments for food. Some people choose to put food directly onto their trays, others choose to use plates or bowls. Everything goes through the same washing process so it's not a hug deal, unless you're eating soup or ice cream.

As an athlete I typically get 2-3 glasses of drink at each meal-at least one for water and usually one for milk. If we got rid of trays then I would spend one trip just getting drinks. Then I would also need 1 hand to carry a plate for my sandwich and vegetables, plus 1 hand to carry silverware and fruit. So at least 2 trips would need to be made. And when I think about all of the lunches where I get soup, I know that just that one bowl is going to require both of my hands. Just last week I went back to get a second helping of soup with just my bowl and ended up spilling some on my shoe. That's another thing trays are good for, catching spills.

So, although the plan may be able to be accomplished,I think that it's going to be more time consuming to get food, more plates are going to get dropped and broken, and the caf could potentially be more congested with a lot of people making multiple trips back and forth like busy bees.

Instead of getting rid of trays why don't we get rid of plates or have some fine or consequence for those people who are the food wasters. Maybe Luther should just buy trays that are smaller so that people can't fit so much food on their trays. We did get rid of plates, bowls, and silverware for one day in the fall to try and raise awareness about food waste and I know that quite a few people were upset. They argued that we're paying enough to attend this school so why can't we have all of those utensils to eat?

Right now that is the talk of the school other than spring break. Our last day of class before break is Thursday, and then we'll come back Tuesday April 1. I am really looking forward to break and will definitely be happy to just relax and take it easy- making full use of all of the plates, silverware, and cups available to me at home!