University sees drop in food waste, purchasing costs

The dining department at the University of Maryland says that its switch from a la carte to anytime dining has saved it from purchasing more that 6 million disposable takeout containers, straws, lids and utensils, The Diamondback reports.

Along with cutting disposables purchases, campus waste sent to landfills declined by over 63 tons during the 2015-16 school year. Staff say that the decline is due to students not throwing away as many items, as well as the school’s stepped-up composting efforts.

"There has been a lot less waste," Bart Hipple, a dining services spokesperson, told The Diamondback. "We have significantly less waste in the dish room this year than we did last year and on top of that, there is no carryout waste."

Dining services switched to anytime dining at the start of the fall semester.

Read the full story via dbknews.com.