Bite by Bite: How CDS Cut Dining Hall Waste by 32%
By Richard Perks and Julie Axford
Getting there wasn't a matter of luck. When we first set out to tackle food waste, trying to battle the entire school's footprint all at once felt overwhelming. Instead, we changed our strategy. We decided to run an ongoing, step-by-step study broken down by individual grade levels. By zooming in on how different age groups eat, we found targeted, highly effective ways to minimize our footprint.
The CDS Niczowski, Temovsky, Arrigo Dining Hall recently hit a milestone that is truly worth celebrating: our service waste has dropped by a massive 32%!
Getting there wasn't a matter of luck. When we first set out to tackle food waste, trying to battle the entire school's footprint all at once felt overwhelming. Instead, we changed our strategy. We decided to run an ongoing, step-by-step study broken down by individual grade levels. By zooming in on how different age groups eat, we found targeted, highly effective ways to minimize our footprint.
Shrinking the Portions, Expanding the Impact
Sometimes the biggest victories come from making things smaller. One of our most successful experiments was rethinking the classic lunch burger. We transitioned from serving full burgers to halves, and eventually shifted down to sliders. The result was highly impressive—this simple sizing tweak eliminated 20 lbs of food waste in the Junior School alone.
We also looked at what happens to perfectly good food that simply doesn't get plated. Now, unserved lunch sandwiches are repurposed and sent over to the Junior School as an extra end-of-day snack. For hungry students wrapping up their afternoon, those sandwiches always disappear, and perfectly good food stays out of the bin.
The Science of Scraps
To achieve this 32% drop, our Dining Hall staff had to get granular with their data. While we utilize the Aramark waste tracker to monitor our kitchen production, storage, and service waste, the real breakthrough came from weighing the post-lunch waste of individual grades every single day.
When analyzing these weights, we don't just look at the raw numbers; we contextualize them. We meticulously account for:
- Food Density: We factor in the natural weight of the dish—knowing that a pan of gnocchi will inherently weigh more than a tray of salad, and that menu items like bone-in chicken will leave heavier remnants.
- Calendar Variables: We adjust our metrics for days when certain grades are absent for field trips or events.
By diving this deep into the variables, we were able to see exactly where our waste was coming from and how to stop it.
Enter the "Waste Warriors"
Data is powerful, but getting the students involved is what truly shifts a culture. A standout highlight of our tracking program is the student-led Junior School "Waste Warrior Day."
On these days, the students actively weigh their own food waste at the end of the meal. Engaging them directly in the process completely changes their perspective on what they leave on their plates. On Waste Warrior days, the waste in the Junior School drops like a stone.
The Middle School Exception
If you dig into the data, you might notice an anomaly: the overall waste volume for the Middle School technically grew this year. However, context is everything. This bump in total volume was strictly due to a significant increase in the Middle School student population.
When we broke the data down to an individual level, the waste per student actually dropped significantly, proving that our new serving sizes and targeted strategies are working exactly as intended across the board.
Well done everyone - let's keep the momentum going next year!
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
Junior, Middle and Senior Schools
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
