Student union expands zero waste plate

Following a successful test phase of the new Zero Waste plate in Mensa I in Kiel, the Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein is now offering the plate in other catering establishments in Schleswig-Holstein.

In Mensa II and Schwentine Mensa in Kiel, as well as in Mensa Heide, guests now also have the opportunity to save delicious, over-produced food from being thrown away. For a period of fifteen minutes after the regular meal service, the plate of assembled components of the day goes over the counter at a discounted price starting at 2.50 euros - only while supplies last.

With the Zero Waste Plate, the Studentenwerk wants to make the most of perfectly good food, reduce the amount of food waste and offer an inexpensive range of meals as an incentive to avoid waste.

Dining hall manager Marco Eckstedt and his team tested the Zero Waste Plate from April 4 to May 27 in dining hall I. He reports: "The experience was very positive overall, and the guests accepted the offer enthusiastically. Within six weeks, we sold almost 500 Zero Waste plates." Compared to the first test week, food waste in the serving area was already reduced to one-third by the third week. On some days, the amount of waste was well under a kilo.

"We were so motivated that we made a daily challenge out of producing as little waste as possible," reports the dining hall manager. However, Fridays are generally difficult, he says, because fewer guests come here than on the other days of the week and food cannot be processed further because of the weekend. "Therefore, we would like to see even more food rescuers on Fridays."