Page 80 - ThePhoenix1989-90

Page 121 Western Maryland College! March 15, 1990 Excess Waste: Food Becomes Glarbage by Stefanie R. Sbaffer -sandwiches The board plan costs dorm -fried chicken The following estimates concerning the amount of waste were made b~ residents $2183 per year, and -fish dining hall employees who either bus tables in the dining room or emptj next year it is expected to in- -tuna fish and turkey salad trays in the dish room. Their estimates rellect the average amount of wastE crease by 6 percent, Though -condiments, esp. ketchup inflation is asignificantfactor in -butter they see, and statistics kept by the dish room In an allempllo see the areas the seemingly high board cost, a -melted cheese of greatest waste. sunnountable problem is the -peanut butter amount of food wasted in the -bakedpctaioes AVERAGE dining hall. -fruit DAILY WASTE PAIL Y $ LOSS YEARLY LOSS' The dining service has a -crackers $700,000 food budget for both -rolls semesters, and there is 10 per- -salad Plastic cups .48/ea. 36" $17 $3871 cent waste for food alone, or -cake, pudding Donuts" $2Jdoz. 4 doz. $8 $1792 $70,000. For examples of how -soda and milk Fruit .20/ea." 40 pc . $8 $1792 much is spent for various provi- According to Susan Smith, a Pizza .56/slice 50 slices $28 $6272 CATEGORY YEARLY COST Sandwiches .82Jea."*A 25 $20 $4480 Soda"" .10/glass 100 glasses $10 $2240 Bakery $ 76,000 Milk .13/glass 100 glasses $13 $2912 Produce $ 81,000 Dairy $ 85,000 'Yearly loss" refers to the total amount of waste averaged over both Meat $187,000 semesters Frozen $ 76,000 Refers to cups stolen and a few broken cups per day China $ 4,000 Refers to untouched donuts that return to the dish room Glasses $ 4,000 Refers to the average cost over Ihe year, (this figure seems high, but Flatware $ 3,000 during certain seasons fruit is more expensive) A"A Refers to the average of all sandwich costs Also be aware that over hall a million dollars is "". Included here are half glasses added together, because they add up to spent for labor for full·time, part-time, and stu- much of the loss dent workers, and benefits, but is not included in the food budget. day and Wednesday have the Traegler provided an example of During the shift, employees sions and dishes, refer above to lot of the wasted food returns to the greatest amount of waste. wasted Jabor to illustrate: He arepulledfromotherareastoclean the chart. dish room withourcven abite out of Smith and Ruby noted that Slated that a few days earlier he up, and then service to diners is . Certainly wasted food is not it. She alsoseessrudemstakemuch unpopular entrees frequently go had seen where someone had writ- slower. Another consequence is a problem unique to Western more butter than they need, for to waste as well, though many tenamessageonatabletnketchup. that employees get tired of clean" Mary land College, buta national instance, and the rest goes to waste. popular entrees Iike.steakarealso Notonly was the ketchup wasted, ing up unnecessary messes and problem existing on college On that particular day, Smith had wasted. They pointed out that but additional labor was needed quit, causing a labor shortage and campuses. Dick Traegler, Di- saved some of the wasted food from specia1foodsonWednesdaynight to clean up. There are several slower service. rector of Dining Services, states thedishroom: such as Belgian Waffles and instances each day similar to the Traegieroffers two prevalent thatthereismorewasteatWMC -15Ibs. of pizza (5-6wholepizzas) eggroUs have a 10[of waste. For ketchup incident.andsomcpeople anitudes about rationalization by than he has seen at other schools -18Ibs. of french fries (a silverware example, people take several do not bus their own tables, re- students for the wasted food: in his thirty-five year career in pan full) eggrolls and don't finish them Quiring more labor on a regular I) I pay fifteen thousand dollars food service. -6 lbs. of ketchup (a whole can) all. . basislOhavethediningha1lready and Iwill do what Iwant. 'Three or four dozen un- -10 sandwiches Though a wasted donut does for I:he next shift. 2) The food is so bad that I can't tcucheddonutseasily get thrown -a few hamburgers not seem like an exorbitant loss, Four instead of two employ- eat it. away after the breakfast shifts Usually,morehamburgersand a few dozen per day over the ees are needed to clean up, which The problem he sees, how- because kids took them and sandwiches are thrown away, but course of the year add up. Refer costs more. Traegler estimates ever, is that students take too didn't eat them. Then wehaveto Smith attributes the small amount to waste chart for costs. that $20,000 per year could be much,thencan'tfmishita11. Pizza ihrowthemoutvstated'Iraegler. here to the fact that pizza was on the Laborisanotherwastedcom- saved if cleaning the dining room is an example. The Health Department prohib- menu. She says that Monday ,Tues- modity in the dining hall. did not require as much labor. Donutsand sandwiches con- its the reserving of food once it stituteanotherpoint Everyoneis has been given to someone. aware of his personal donut pref- Pizza is another high waste erencesandcan discriminate fresh item. Traegler says the problem from slaledonuts before selecting with pizza is that people "take one. Also, students order sand- six or eight slices and get full wiches and specify what they before they finish the last two. n want, so they are aware of what By the end of the shift, the two they are gelling . slices wasted here and there add . Geri Shennan, Director of up to five or six whole pizzas. Administrative Services, sees the Dining hall employees waste problem from the angle of SusanSmithand Betty Ruby also rising board costs and saving added insight into what kind of money. "The board cost is based food is wasted from what they on how many show up to each see in the dish room and while meal, who is eating and what they bussing tables. The following are eating," she states. The prob- items are most commonly lem is that they are taking more wasted: than they are eating, which results -pizza in waste. Shennan's point is that -french fries "ifthereislesswaste,lhecostwil! -hamburgers, hot dogs go down."