As the school year began, Dana Hall unveiled a new dish drop-off and composting system in the Dining Center, marking a shift toward greater sustainability and efficiency on campus. The new system includes a conveyor belt that carries trays and plates to kitchen staff, who would handle the sorting and composting of food waste behind the scenes.
According to Mr. Peter Kourafalos, Director of Dining Services, “The change was driven by a growing demand from the Dana Hall community.” One of the major driving forces was the Green Action Committee. They addressed the lack of proper composting in Dana Hall and came up with an initiative. The co-heads Erin Kennedy ’26 and Carly Woll ’26 noted that the Green Action Committee focused on “tangible sustainability, making improvements within and out of the Dana community, and educating people.”
Students now place their used plates on the conveyor belt after meals, rather than sorting food leftovers, recyclable items, and trash themselves. Then, the trays are sent into the kitchen. Once there, dining hall staff sort the waste into categories, scraping off uneaten food and separating compostable material.
All compost goes into a dedicated disposal unit designed to filter out non-compostable items like plastic. Then, a company that the dining hall works with comes to collect the food compost each week. The new system made the dining hall tidier in appearance, while involving less use of water and electricity to operate, which contributes further to being eco-friendly.
Ella Fu ’28 said, “I’m really glad that we are actually composting now. It’s so nice to see eco-friendly changes made to our school.”
“The greatest strength of the new system is how streamlined and efficient it is,” Mr. Kourafalos explained. “And the fact that we’re actually composting now is a big win. It’s a smaller step for students, and the staff actually does the sorting, so now inedible waste doesn’t go to the food scraps bin. The whole process just took some retraining.”
Although any large change in operations can present challenges, Mr. Kourafalos shared that the transition has gone relatively smoothly. “At first, there was some hesitation. We had to explain why this new system would be beneficial,” he said. “But now that the staff see the positive impact, people embrace the change.”
While no additional eco-initiatives are planned at the moment, Mr. Kourafalos says they are paying close attention to food waste and student habits. “We’d like to encourage students to take less food,” he said. “People eat with their eyes, not their stomachs. There’s been a noticeable increase in food waste.”
According to Mr. Kourafalos, the dining services team noted: During lunchtime on a recent school day, they saw students fill their plates with about 12 wings, and only eat two. The rest went to waste.
Mr. Kourafalos said, “It breaks my heart to see all the food waste. There are still many people out there who don’t know when their next meal will be. Don’t get me wrong, we love to see students eat a lot, but they should really start with taking less and make more trips to get the dish they enjoy.”
“I liked it! It made my life so much easier now that I don’t have to sort the waste myself,” said Amelia Zhang ’28. Other students echoed similar comments, calling the system “convenient” and “efficient.”
Although it’s still early in the school year, the new system represents a meaningful step in Dana Hall’s commitment to sustainability and community-driven change. Dining Services staff hope the momentum continues, as they encourage students to begin to make more mindful choices about what they take and what they leave behind.
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