Food waste has long been an issue on college campuses, and VTSU Castleton’s Campus Sustainability Team is taking proactive steps to address the problem. 

Through initiatives like the Clean Plate Club and the use of the Huden Dining Hall dehydrator, the team aims to reduce the amount of food waste generated by students while educating the community on the importance of sustainability.

One of the most significant advancements in Castleton University’s food waste reduction efforts is the Huden Dining Hall dehydrator. Tom Kelly, supervisor of Huden Dining Hall and a key figure in this initiative, explains how it works.

“You know, they want as much as they can get the first time they come off. But then it ends up over here,” he said of students getting food and then not finishing. “Which doesn’t help with food waste, right?” 

The dehydrator takes excess food waste, removes the oils and fats, and processes it into a material resembling coffee grounds. This process reduces the number of compost buckets needed from 16 down to about 10, significantly cutting down on waste.

“My goal is, when it gets to this point here, is being able to give it to the campus, to add it to topsoil,” Kelly adds. “To do something with it. Whether it’s for the community to come get some free topsoil … so then that way folks can use it in their gardens.”

Despite some minor setbacks, such as one batch that turned into a sticky mess requiring extensive cleanup, the dehydrator has been a successful addition to campus sustainability efforts.

In addition to processing food waste, the Campus Sustainability Team is actively working to prevent waste before it happens. The Clean Plate Club is an initiative designed to encourage students to take smaller portions and finish their meals before returning for more.

“The idea is with the visual cue, we want to have some type of student behavior change,” explains Nate Forgan, student ecological coordinator and secretary of sustainability for the Student Government Association.

 “This year, we’re kind of doing a different approach, working with Tom Kelly in Huden as well as the Wellness Center. We are kind of helping with food waste, but we don’t want to promote any other type of behavior,” Forgan added.

The Clean Plate Club will be active on March 26, April 2, 16, 18, and 22 during lunch (12-1 PM) and dinner (6-8 PM). Students who return empty plates will receive a raffle ticket for a prize, reinforcing the habit of mindful portioning and consumption.

“We don’t want to discriminate against those people who might be embarrassed if they have leftover food and maybe it’s because of a health reason,” says Andy Vermilyea, professor of environmental science and chair of the Campus Sustainability Team. “We’re trying to be respectful of people, not call them out, not draw attention to people who might not have a clean plate but promote small portions and taking multiple trips.”

One challenge the sustainability team faces is the lack of awareness surrounding the dehydrator and other food waste initiatives. 

“Food waste awareness was inspired by the fact that most people had no idea that the dehydrator existed,” says Nik Villalobos, an active member of the sustainability team. “They were expecting some sort of tour or story on the dehydrator when Huwden first got it, but that never came about.” 

The team hopes that their efforts to publicize the dehydrator and sustainability initiatives will lead to long-term changes in student behavior. 

Sodexo, the dining service provider, tracks food waste by weighing bins before processing them, allowing the team to measure the impact of their initiatives over time.

“We do currently track food waste,” says Villalobos. “The food gets weighed in the bins before it gets put into the dehydrator. Because some food has higher fat content like sandwiches, they take a really long time to run through the dehydrator. In 18 hours, the dehydrator runs, sure it’s full the first time, but that’s potentially another couple of bins that can’t go through the dehydrator, which means we end up with several bins full of wet food on top of the ones that are being run through the dehydrator.”

Ultimately, the goal of these efforts extends beyond Castleton University. 

“Food is connected to our environment, our limited resources, it’s connected to energy,” Vermilyea explains. “This isn’t this one-off thing that you do in college; this is creating lifestyles for the future.”

By implementing initiatives like the Clean Plate Club and utilizing the dehydrator, the Campus Sustainability Team hopes to create lasting behavioral shifts that will contribute to a more sustainable future. With increased awareness, participation, and ongoing data collection, VTSU Castleton is making meaningful progress in reducing food waste on campus.

 “I think that the biggest part is a shift in mindset that can have a significant impact beyond just individuals changing their eating habits. That change of mindset can be a huge trigger for even more impactful sustainability changes,” Villalobos said.