New utensils not the only green in HFS salads

Students in the residence halls are struggling to eat their food. The chief culprits in this dilemma are the compostable, corn-based cutlery now being used by Housing and Food Services (HFS) as part of a composting and recycling program.

The new cutlery was implemented this year as part of the larger composting program instituted last February. HFS ultimately hopes to achieve a "zero waste target" through this program.

"Last year, we bought over 3,000,000 forks, knives and spoons, and they all went to a landfill," said Michael Meyering, HFS project manager.

The new cutlery is entirely reusable and degrades within 60 days. It is also slightly cheaper than the old plastic cutlery used last year. As a whole, biodegradable products are a largely affordable solution for an institution as large as a university.

"You get the right distributor and you can get a reasonable price now," he said.

Meyering points out that composting is making a mark on other campuses around the country. He sees the food industry generally moving in a green direction where Coke cups and chip bags will soon be compostable as well.

"Hopefully our students will help lead the way and make a huge impact on what the rest of the country does," Meyering said.

He said UW student groups like Students Expressing Environmental Dedication (SEED) as being key in the initial movement to start composting.

Thought the cutlery is biodegradable, it is also flimsy.

"Whenever you get something hot, it just melts on you," freshman Sean Lee said.

Meyering is responsible for the composting program. He hesitates to use the word "melting."

"I've never seen one that's 'melted'," Meyering said. "If you put the product in the food while you're heading to the table, they get a little soft."

Meyering suggests that diners in the residence halls carry their forks, spoons and knives separately from their food when they are taking food out. There is also stainless steel silverware provided in every dining hall for those who do not want to use the corn-based cutlery.

The corn-based product will be replaced as soon as possible, Meyering said. A sturdier compostable wooden product is being looked at and could be in the residence halls in two weeks.

In the meantime, students are finding other solutions.

"I just take three of the [compostable] ones at a time," freshman Sterling Swigart said. "The metal ones are hard to find. Sometimes they have them; sometimes they don't."

HFS, however, is hesitant to provide all metal silverware in the dining halls.

"If we put out metal cutlery, it'd be gone," Meyering said.

Meyering said that he has used the corn-based product and has not had any problems. A container of the cutlery sits on his desk next to a stack of other compostable products.

"I use it all the time," Meyering said. "I have no troubles with it because I want to make it work. I'm not going to leave it in my food [for a long time]."

[Reach reporter Andrew Doughman at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]