Students, Alumni Work Together To Reduce Food Waste
The clear food waste bin in the Commons wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
“We heard from so many students that our clear food waste bin was disgusting,” said Harry Morton ’18, Albi co-founder. “They didn’t want to scrape their food into it, so they were more mindful of what they put on their plate.”
Morton and co-founder Matt Morrish ’18 returned to Hartwick one year after they launched the Albi pilot project, measuring Hartwick food waste and aiming to reduce it.
“Forty percent of all food in the United States is wasted,” said Morrish. “We don’t have to get it down to zero, but we can get it lower than 40 percent.”
According to Morton and Morrish, Commons diners reduced their food waste by 15 percent over the fall semester.
“The dishroom team collected and weighed the food waste, then the leadership team entered the data into the data collection module,” said John Tompkins, dining director. “And we are so pleased to see that these efforts have shown a reduction!”
“Whenever I see all the food in the bin, it reminds me that I really should take only what I need,” said Runyararo Chaora ’25. “Using that bin is so much more effective than just the trash can.”
And Albi is continuing to try and get those numbers lower. A robust promotional campaign across campus, with a strong visual presence outside the Commons, reminds students to take only what they will eat.
“All of this—from posters and emails to seeing the bin in front of them—all contributed to an awareness that students have the ability to reduce what they are throwing out,” said Tompkins.
