Reducing School Foodservice Waste through the Choice of Serviceware

Abstract

The use of permanent serviceware is one way to lessen the total quantity of foodservice waste. Waste reduction also may be possible through the choice of disposable serviceware material. The purposes of this study were (1) to examine the relationship between the choice of serviceware as measured by the amount spent on permanent and disposable serviceware and the costs associated with that choice and (2) to examine waste reduction through the choice of serviceware material. A statewide survey of school foodservice directors was conducted. The data were used to analyze the cost effectiveness of using permanent serviceware.

The findings suggested that the use of disposable serviceware often may be more cost effective than the use of permanentware. Total costs associated with a serviceware mix, namely dishwashing-related costs and waste removal costs, tend to increase less with the use of disposable serviceware than with the use of permanent serviceware. One of the reasons may be the low cost of landfill space. The number of students enrolled is also an important factor in explaining costs. Paper-based disposable serviceware products use landfill space more effectively than similar plastic and polystyrene products.