Ohio University
OP-22: Waste Minimization

FY2012 is the first year for which The University is confident in our relative accuracy of data.

We perform periodic waste "recovery" audits, pulling all waste from the dumpsters and recycling from a representative location to determine use and recycling rates and compare to after proper sorting rates.

Surplus is charged with administering the disposition of surplus/excess property which complies with applicable laws. Any department which declares as excess state or university property will contact the Surplus Management Department. The property will be removed from the department for disposition either through transfer to another University department or public sale. See: Procedure for Disposition of Surplus/Excess Property Procedure No.55.071 Surplus Management has reusable items available to university departments at The Ridges Building # 9 and can be purchased for a very nominal fee. The warehouse is open from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Communication to parents, students, staff and faculty are accomplished through multiple newsletters and online resources. These include but are not limited to communications from the President and Dean of Students, Orientation, Move-In and Move-out guides, internal news publication and special event emails. Course catalogs, factbooks, directories and other resources are available electronically.

Departments across campus are being progressively converted to third party owned printers and copiers. Black and white printing costs the department $.025 and color costs $.25.

There are multiple drop-off locations for reusable goods (students are offered flyers outlining what qualifies as “reusable goods”) at every residence hall, both indoors and outdoors. RAs and other volunteers are equipped to assist in locating drop-off programs. Food Donation Sites are also available in each residence hall. Students can drop off non-perishable food items left over from the semester that will be donated to local food pantries.

Our catering and events have moved to eliminate disposable plastic items and replace with the new norm of 100% reusable or 100% compostable. Athletic tailgates and University sponsored events work with each invited vendor to increase reusable options and prohibit non-recyclable or non-compostable items. Surplus department captures reusable items for repurposing on campus or resale. Construction and design carefully considers reuse and salvage in every project.

All food waste from the dining halls is captured in the kitchens by scraping plates into dedicated compost collection bins prior to washing of dishes. The percentage of food waste captured fluctuates between 95-98% with very little contamination. Composting of food waste is done on-campus through a combination of in-vessel digesters and windrows. All compost is weighed before processing.

Culinary Services relies heavily upon inventory data from past years; such benchmarking of past inventory needs has proved to be a fantastic asset when forecasting for the future. Our forecasting data also takes holidays, seasons and more into account in order to gain a clearer picture of future inventory needs. Recent renovations have focused on reducing food waste from the production end as well. For example, the cook/chill system and central production kitchen at our Central Food Facility has helped us to further reduce waste by centralizing production. Instead of making soup, sauces, pasta, rice and other food items individually in all of our units, these items are made in one location and shipped out. The cook/chill system allows us to produce food in bulk and then chill it for up to 30 days. This central production model also allows us to eliminate redundant machinery within each of our Dining Courts/Halls and affords us with a smaller, more energy efficient production footprint. There is also minimal food waste within the Central Food Facility as a result of this central production model.

All of Culinary Services' Dining Courts/Halls track food waste, excluding the food that is served to student diners and then thrown away by the student diner. The national benchmark for food waste in a food operation is 2% of the total value of food purchased. In the 2013-14 school year, our dining courts/halls purchased $4,800,482 in food. The dollar value of the food thrown away was $56,898, or 1.19% of the total value of food purchased. Compared to 2010-11, when Culinary Services did not have a centralized production kitchen and cook-chill facility, the value of food thrown away was $82,340 (this number has been adjusted for inflation). Culinary Services has reduced the value of food waste by $25,442 which is a 31% reduction in food waste ($25,442 divided by $82,340 = 31%). Such numbers highlight the fact that Ohio University Culinary Services produces only a small amount of waste (and well below the national average). Post consumer food waste is tracked through our composting system as described above in the food waste audit section (all compost is weighed before processing). Programs to reduce post-consumer waste are described in the dining services waste minimization section below (signage, educational programs, self-serve options). Additionally, all of our staff is ServSafe certified in safe food handling and have the necessary qualifications to determine if food is safe to reuse. It is not a safe practice to re-heat food more than once, and any leftover food that has already been re-heated is thrown away. Leftover food that has been re-heated once cannot be donated due to the risk of foodborne illness.

Culinary Services explored the possibilty of reusable containers; however, these are against the Ohio Food Code and would not pass a local health inspection. All of our campus dining venues utilize compostable take-out containers that help to both maximize the use of our two campus composting vessels and further ongoing campus sustainability efforts. All of our compostable service ware is BPI certified.

All dining halls use reusable service ware (plates, glasses, bowls, knives, forks, etc.) for all dine-in operations. To-go options and operations at our Student Union use compostable options on all items packaged in house (plates, clamshells, knives, forks, dressing ramekins, napkins, hot and cold cups including lids, etc.). We have a comprehensive on-campus composting facility.

Culinary Services offers discounts to customers utilizing reusable mugs at all five campus cafés and our primary food court located in the campus student center. The regular cost of a 16 oz coffee at a campus café is $1.75. Use of a reusable mug discounts this price to $1.25, for a recurring savings of .50 cents per visit.

Ohio University Culinary Services is committed to providing the highest quality dining and consumer experience possible for the diverse university community and guests; such commitment supports the educational mission and residential concept of Ohio University. We collaborate with the Office of Sustainability to help educate students regarding food waste and how they can help to decrease the amounts of wasted food. Signs are posted in all Dining Courts/Halls encouraging students to take only what they know they will eat and to not be shy about asking for smaller portions. Furthermore, Shively Court and Nelson Court, two of our most recently renovated dining venues, provide numerous self-serve concepts in which customers can choose their own portions. Such self service stations have greatly reduced our amounts of food waste.

We’re always looking for new ways to increase our sustainability and reduce food waste. We also value student input; in fact, the Culinary Services Development Committee (CSDC) is a student-led group that helps us to evaluate sustainability-related ideas and initiatives. Our recent reusable bags initiative, in which all 2013-2014 residential students on a meal plan were provided with a reusable bag free of charge, was borne out of CSDC. We encourage all campus students to join this committee and let their voice be heard. The residential employee numbers are an estimate, based on Residence Life staff data.