Capitol Hill has seen many changes this year, and another went into place this week in the cafeteria. After four years of biodegradable and/or recyclable food and beverage packaging, on Monday the House switched to using styrofoam for its food containers and non-biodegradable utensils. Some have called it the House's "return to the mid-1990's" program.
Sad news. I can appreciate each party's manuevers to try to out-best each other, but one party implementing styrofoam in the cafeteria to irk the other party's tendency to care more about the environment hurts everyone more than it helps. I can't find the exact number, but at least 10,000 people work on Capitol Hill and thousands more visit and eat at the cafefeteria each day, which creates a huge amount of waste that could be better managed if compostable and recyclable, in my opinion.
In another fascinating trend, did you know many college cafeterias no longer use trays? Most schools in the Washington region have gone "trayless" in at least one dining hall, and several nationwide have banned them altogether as part of an effort to encourage students to eat healthier.
"Without a tray, students have to be pickier during the first sweep of the cafeteria line and make trips back for more. It results in as much as 25 to 30 percent less wasted food, according to a 2008 study of 25 campuses by food services provider Aramark." More at Washington Post.
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