Waste reducation at
Capilano College

n the present day so-called

disposable society, the Food and
Beverage Committee at Capilano
College is currently faced with the
pressing issue of the amount of waste
generated by the food court and its
customers.

A major source of this waste is the
extreme overuse of disposable, non-
recyclable food and beverage
containers at the North Vancouver
campus. All of this Styrofoam and
plastic inevitably arrives, in
astronomical amounts, at the district’s
landfill. Styrofoam, along with plastic,
is non-biodegradable. While Styrofoam
can be compacted at the landfill site,
with time it expands back to nearly its
original size.

The takeout containers’ purpose is to
give customers an opportunity to take a
purchase from the food court to other
places on campus. Due to lack of
concern or misconception, some
customers are taking their food in the
Styrofoam containers to eat within the
food court’s seating area. There are
receptacles for dishes, utensils and
glassware in the atrium. These
receptacles appear to be, for the most
part, underused.

Logically, the increased use of
ceramics is thought to reduce the
amount of waste produced at Capilano
College. There have also been a variety
of other suggestions made to help bring
about waste reduction. Using takeout
containers only for the purpose of
taking food out of the food court area
would eliminate a great deal of the
garbage.

Customers need to be made aware as
to how much waste is produced on the
campus, and how their actions either
contribute to, or change, the problem at
hand. Another suggestion to encourage
the use of ceramics even more, is to
create various dish stations around
campus. These stations would give the
consumers the choice of taking their

reusable, environmentally responsible
dishes to other areas, without having to
return to the Birch building when they
are finished. Perhaps colourful artwork
in the food court area, encouraging the
use of the dish receptacles and showing
the environmental affects of our actions
would also have an affect on the
customers.

There are, of course, many factors to
take into consideration when dealing
with such a complex issue. The
Committee’s main focus right now is
education. Many customers seem
misinformed or oblivious to the
consequences of their actions. It is
important for each person to be a
conscientious consumer and to take
responsibility for the waste they
produce. Think globally. Consider the
overuse of environmentally detrimental
convenience products worldwide, and act
locally — perhaps as locally as your own
lunch.

The Capilano College Food and
Beverage Services Committee is
comprised of students, Beaver Foods
employees, and College employees. Its
purpose is to act as an intermediary
between the providers and the users of
the College’s food and beverage
services. Alison Rolfe and Nigel David,
authors of this submission, attend
Committee meetings as non-voting
guests and all members of the College
community are welcome to attend in the
same capacity.

If you have any questions or
suggestions, or would like to attend a
Food and Beverage Services Committee
meeting, please contact the assistant to
the director of Supply and Services,
Karen LeQuyere, at local 7553.

Submitted by U.T. (Environmental
Biology) students Alison Rolfe and Nigel
David

@nformer