Cafeteria Offers Reusable Options

Brooklyn Draisey

Columnist

            Starting Monday, April 13, the lunchroom is offering reusable silverware and tray options for those who want it. The plastic trays have been offered alongside the Styrofoam ones all year, but the metal silverware is new.

             Sophomore Autumn Tallman isn’t planning on using the new silverware herself, but still thinks they’re a good option to have.

            “Then students have the ability to not be so wasteful,” said Tallman. The trays are also larger and both are easier to use than their less eco-friendly counterparts. They aren’t as convenient trash-wise, since the Styrofoam trays and plastic silverware can just be thrown away, but the benefits outweigh the inconvenience. Students may like the new dishes and silverware, but it just increases the workload for the staff.

            “It’s more work because we have to run the dishwasher twice to clean them and stack them in bins,” said Pat Dearden, a member of the kitchen staff. In order to make sure that the silverware is properly clean, the staff has to clean the estimated 1,800 pieces of silverware twice, then separate them and put them in bins. Money will also be saved with the new kitchen wares, as long as the schools stop buying plastic silverware to go along with the new option.

              Though students and staff may disagree on the benefits of reusable kitchen wares, the both agree on the fact that the student body will react positively to the new additons.