Food and Non-Edible, Compostable Waste in a University Dining Facility

National data indicate that 91 billion pounds of food are lost by consumers and food service annually. With growing concerns about the environment, economy, and food production, it is important to be resourceful about food. The goal of this study was to analyze differences in food and compostable waste with and without the use of trays in an all-you-can-eat university dining facility. The results indicated that the use of trays resulted in significantly more waste (p < .05) than no access to trays, with 5829 pounds of edible waste and 1111 pounds of inedible waste being generated in 1 week.