Dinner has just ended in Shively dining hall. There are six full trays of pizza still left, and the employees are throwing them away in green bins. What exactly is happening to all of this food that nobody ate? Is it donated to the citizens of Athens, the poorest county in Ohio?
A student finishes dinner, leaving most of it uneaten.
According to Baker Executive Chef Matt Rapposelli, some food is composted, some is thrown away, and some is donated.
Although not of the food goes to waste, not all of it can be composted. Animal derived products such as meat, dairy products and eggs make it impossible for items such as pizza to avoid going straight to the landfill.
Student food waste could be as problematic as the food waste generated by the university.
According to Shively employee Erin Johnson, students often get much more food than they can actually eat. Many students throw away plates of nearly untouched food every day.
In 2009, the Office of Sustainability conducted an audit during dinner service over a period of four, non-consecutive days in the winter. The audit focused on edible food consumed and disposed of by Ohio University students.
Researchers found that on January 21st, five ounces per person were wasted. On January 28th, nearly seven ounces per person was wasted. That following February 4th, the proclaimed “No-Tray Day,” nearly five ounces per person was found wasteful, and on February 18th, just under six ounces per person were wasted.
The amount of food waste the students generate creates a sustainability issue. According to CNN.com, food waste is problematic for the environment because the greenhouse gas methane is released when foods rot.
The Environmental Protection Agency deemed methane gas 20 times more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide, which is one of the main greenhouse gases involved with global warming.
The EPA says that methane traps 23 times more heat in the atmosphere than the same amount of CO2, and landfills are responsible for 34 percent of methane emissions in the United States.
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Although OU could improve their efforts to decrease food waste on a university level, students should consider reducing their waste on an individual level.
“I would suggest that students use smaller plates… that way you won’t pick up more food than you’ll actually eat,” Johnson said.
Reducing food waste on an individual level and at the university level is an important step that OU can take toward sustainability.
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