Amelia Scanio
Research Mentor(s): Melanie Reid
Mentor Department: Michigan Dining
Authors: Amelia Scanio
Session: Session 5 (2:00pm – 2:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 109
Abstract
Food production and waste are large contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Michigan serves approximately 30,000 meals daily across its nine dining halls, producing 5,000 lbs of waste. Reducing food waste in dining halls, would greatly reduce the University of Michigan’s overall waste production. This reduction in waste could also be applied to other universities and organizations to reduce food waste on a greater scale. To determine the contents and cause of the food waste, the compost bins of multiple dining halls, at varied times and days were photographed and analyzed. The waste was classified into four categories: “non-food waste,†“inedible food scraps,†“recycling,†and “food waste.†Food waste was further categorized by food group (e.g., fruits, vegetables, grains) as well as by serving style (e.g., side with entree, self-serve). The data showed non-food waste, such as napkins and compostable dining ware, made up the majority of the waste. Focusing on food waste, “grains†and “side with entree†were the largest categories. The contributing waste was largely fries and buns. Changes to serving styles could cause a decrease in waste especially with the waste of grains. Future research should be done on the impact of these changes, using these results as a baseline and to inform the future changes.
