Does Virginia Tech Support Waste

 

Each year Virginia Tech wastes hundreds of thousands of pieces of paper on printing and handing students dining receipts.

 

By Matt Betcher

 

Virginia Tech takes pride in its dining services. It is one of several various attractions to the University, and for good reason.

 

Virginia Tech’s campus is constantly ranked as one of the best college dining experiences, often winning the coveted number one spot as best campus food in the country. With popular restaurants such as Qdoba, Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A, combined with Tech’s award winning original dining options, lines are bound to form.

 

The dining service is very efficient and exercises procedures in sustainability abiding by Tech’s commitment toward its climate action commitment.

 

However there is still one small aspect of Virginia Tech’s dining service that goes against its commitment to sustainability. Which deals in the way they go about printing receipts.

 

For each order at a dining hall a customer receives a receipt whether they want one or not. This is due to the software and programs on dining hall cash registers.

 

This is a problem that even though might seem small is actually much bigger. According to Virginia Tech Dining services over 30,000 receipts are printed daily. With most of those receipts being discarded immediately whether it is recycled, thrown in the trash or just another piece of litter.

 

Virginia Tech’s Student Government decided last semester that there was no reason for these wasteful practices and began crafting legislation on the issue.

 

After a few attempts the legislation was finished and was passed in both the House and the Senate. Giving the school insight on how students view the current dining receipts.

 

If the legislation makes it through the numerous different councils required to actually enact change, dining services would have to change and replace all of its old registers and software. Enabling customers to not receive receipts if they want.