Thanks to recent sustainability initiatives at Riverdale, trays are now a thing of the past in the dining hall. While the environmental advantages are obvious, there have been some unexpected benefits as well.

“Chef Paul” Albanese, Director of Food Service, has noticed a surprising trend in the amount of missing silverware since the establishment of the no tray policy. Last year, between September and January, approximately 1,500 pieces of silverware were either lost or thrown out and had to be replaced. By May, the replacement silverware had also gone missing, leading to the use of plastic utensils by the end of the school year.

So far this year, approximately 300 pieces of silverware have been lost, a 20 percent decrease from last year. The amount of soap and water used has been cut greatly, and the energy savings have been dramatic.

The dishwasher uses more energy than anything else on campus. One rack in the dishwasher can fit 15 trays, 30 dishes, or 100 pieces of silverware. By not using trays, the dishwasher can fit more and run for a fraction of the time.

Chef Paul believes that the tray-less initiative falls in line with what leading colleges, universities, and other independent schools have been doing. Some people have complained about the lack of trays, but Chef Paul believes, “Things change…It really is true, if everyone does a little, it adds up to a lot.”

Thanks to the success of the tray-less initiative and other green efforts, Riverdale will continue to think of new ways to become a leader in sustainability.