Alfred State College Gets Greener: Trayless Dining Debuts

Students at Alfred State College will join the trayless revolution when they return to school this fall. Dining services organizations across the county are removing trays from dining halls in order to reduce food waste and save both water and electricity. College campuses across the country are going trayless to reduce food waste and save on both water and electricity. Now, Alfred State's Central Dining Hall will join the revolution.

Karen Canne, director of dining services for Alfred State's Auxiliary Campus Enterprises and Services (ACES), expects a reduction in food waste of as much as 25 percent. "Based on the data from other schools, we expect to see a measurable drop in our waste."

The trayless plan saves on water and electricity, as all those extra trays and dishes no longer need to be rinsed and washed.

This project is part of ACES' on-going initiative to reduce its environmental impact. The company also partners with the Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture (COSA) to serve organic greens and produce grown on campus in Central Dining Hall. ACES is also working with the college to turn its own used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel for the shuttle buses that take students to and from the School of Applied Technology campus in Wellsville every day.

Perhaps a drop in waste will lead to another drop in waist. With that freshman 15 pounds lurking just around the corner, maybe some students will skip those indulgent "just a bite" habits and battle the bulge right at the food service line.

Auxiliary Campus Enterprises and Services, Inc. (ACES) is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the mission of Alfred State College by providing dining services, campus bookstores, telecommunications, transportation and vending services to Alfred State College students.