No trays at TGA

By Victor Tine
Staff writer

November 24, 2008 03:57 am

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BYFIELD — Here's an idea for the folks at Newburyport High School who are looking to end the use of Styrofoam trays in the cafeteria — no trays at all.

The Governor's Academy got rid of its trays last year; and according to Food Services Director David Alonzi, the move not only saves on trash, it also saves the academy 1,400 pounds of food and beverage per month.

Diners in the TGA cafeteria help themselves to a plate, a glass, utensils and to whatever food they want, Alonzi said. They can go back for additional servings and they can take an additional plate when it's time for dessert.

But the plates make it harder for those whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs to load up on food they're not going to eat.

"It essentially eliminated the ability to pile on more food than they needed," Alonzi said.

The issue of the most efficient way for students to handle cafeteria lunches was raised recently in Newburyport, where the high school throws out thousands of Styrofoam lunch trays each week.

The academy had previously been using hard plastic trays, not Styrofoam, and Alonzi said the no-tray policy also saves the cost of washing them, although dishes, glasses and cutlery still need to be washed.

Alonzi estimated that TGA has saved about 5 percent of its total food costs. When you're serving 1,100 meals a day, 5 percent is substantial.

The changeover came at a time when food prices started rising sharply, Alonzi said, so some of the savings has been, in a sense, eaten up by inflation.

In addition to students, people dining in the school cafeteria include faculty members and often their family members, as well as guests. The academy kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week when classes are in session.

The no-tray concept was pioneered at Northfield-Mount Hermon School in western Massachusetts and The Governor's Academy heard about it from St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, Alonzi said.

Alonzi said there were concerns that cleanup of the dining hall could become more complicated and that breakage would increase, but neither of those problems has been significant.

After "some initial grumbling," TGA diners have adjusted well, he said.

Alonzi said the cafeteria still has a few trays on hand for people who might have physical difficulty managing without one.

"If someone really needs a tray, they don't have to go without," he said.