NSAC Cafeteria Goes Green

The Story:

At any university or home, most garbage comes from the kitchen. At NSAC, Chartwells, our food service provider, is working to stop that trend. Bulk condiments are now used instead of single serving ones, kitchen waste is recycled, cups and utensils are made from recycled material and napkins are 100 per cent recycled with 60 per cent post consumer content.

After taking these and other steps, and seeing the resulting waste reduction, Chartwells instituted “Trayless Tuesdays”. The results were significant.

The Numbers:

• Number of trays washed every day, except Tuesday, at NSAC: 670
• Amount of liquid waste on a regular day: 22.8 litres
• Amount of liquid waste on a Trayless Tuesday: 11.4 litres

The Facts:

• The average dishwasher uses approximately 16 litres of water in one wash
• If you use the machine once every two days, that’s 2,920 litres of water a year, roughly the same amount three people will consume in a year

Change your view. That little tray makes a huge difference.