Penn State does measure the amount of food waste from food served at 9 Residential Dining locations across 5 campus locations: University Park, Harrisburg, Altoona, Behrend, and Berks.

Other campuses do not have enough student residents on site or enough on-campus residential population to offer university dining services. Therefore, we cannot record or report numbers for the entire university system.

In 2024, our scales were not working properly or consistently. Information for this period is inconclusive as Penn State Dining was in-between food waste tracking companies. Information will be available again for 2025.

The following information reflects only those campuses with dining service locations and recorded food waste data.

  • According to Residential Dining’s LeanPath system (the system used to measure pre- and post-consumer food waste) in 2023 food waste totaled 264.7 tons/529,419.15 lbs/240,140.8 kg/240.2 mt

At the University Park campus, the food waste was sent to the university compost facility to be turned into soil that is used on university landscaping grounds. The Live On website highlights other Food Waste efforts of Penn State Food Services. These include:

  • Fighting Food Waste: Our partnership with Winnow helps us track, measure and prevent food waste, making every bite count.
  • Farm-to-Table Freshness: We collaborate with the Student Farm to bring hyper-local produce straight to our dining halls, ensuring fresh, sustainable and delicious meals.
  • Composting for a Better Tomorrow: Leftover food and kitchen scraps are composted right on campus and used for soil enrichment and landscaping, closing the loop on waste.
  • Campus-Wide Recycling: Recycling stations across dining commons and eateries make it easy to dispose of metal cans, plastic bottles, newspapers, mixed office paper and glass bottles responsibly.
  • Local Vendor Purchasing: We prioritize local food suppliers, purchasing nearly 20% of our annual food from PA-based vendors, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting our local communities.
  • Food for Those in Need: By partnering with the student-run Food Recovery Network, we ensure that surplus food is redirected to those who need it most.
  • Less Plastic, More Impact: We have eliminated plastic bag usage in campus convenience stores and provide water bottle refilling stations across campus.
  • Paperless Practices: We embrace digital communication to cut down on unnecessary paper waste.
  • Know Your Food: Our Local Meal Specials give students some background on where their food comes from and the impact of their choices.
  • Student Sustainability Coordinators lead efforts to educate peers and staff on everyday sustainable actions. Additionally, they ensure that our sustainability programs remain impactful, measurable and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
  • The EcoReps are student sustainability ambassadors dedicated to educating first-year students about sustainable practices on campus and at home. The EcoReps meet twice weekly and hold monthly events at the University Park Campus. 

 

Learn more about Penn State’s progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals HERE and on SDG 2 HERE.