Students at Royal Victoria College (RVC) won last month’s Zero Waste Dining Halls Challenge, earning a pizza party and the satisfaction of doing their part to advance sustainability on campus.
An initiative of Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) and students from the Environmental Residence Council (ERC), the event aimed to encourage residence students to reduce their plate waste. Educational tabling at dining hall entrances helped foster enthusiasm, conversation and reflection, prompting students to make more thoughtful choices about their portion sizes. During the challenge, students were also invited to participate in educational games, with prizes from the McGill Campus Store awarded to 10 winners.
“A key step in reducing plate waste is creating a culture of awareness through interactive engagement,” said Sasha Manoli, Marketing Director, Dana Hospitality at McGill. “When diners have the opportunity to see, sort and reflect on their waste, it can encourage more mindful habits and meal choices over time.”
Waste audit
McGill’s dining halls have been designated as Zero Waste Zones since August 2023 – something students are reminded of by decals affixed at the entrance to each dining hall – but food waste remains a pressing challenge.
To better understand and address this issue, SHHS student Sustainability Ambassadors had led a six-month waste audit from October 2024 to March 2025, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. They sorted plate waste into edible and non-edible portions and surveyed diners about their reasons for discarding food. These surveys explored themes such as meal satisfaction, portion sizes and dining habits, offering a deeper look into food-waste behaviour while prompting reflection among students. The audit was conducted across three campus dining halls: Bishop Mountain Hall (BMH), New Residence Hall (NRH) and Carrefour Sherbrooke (CS).
The results revealed a downward trend in plate waste over the course of the audit, particularly at NRH and CS, reflecting a combination of operational improvements and a shift in student behaviour.
The data generated by the audit also informed dining hall staff practices, helping culinary teams identify high-waste items and less popular dishes. In addition to establishing a baseline for ongoing monitoring, the audit engaged nearly 7,000 diners per audit week, reinforcing the power of community-based action and direct engagement.
Added Dean Baghdadi, SHHS Sustainability Ambassador: “During the challenge, I saw students becoming more mindful, reducing waste by finishing what they took. The audits really encouraged them to rethink their consumption habits.”
More work to be done
“Achieving Zero Waste Zone status in our dining halls is a big step toward McGill’s broader sustainability goals. However, the work doesn’t stop here,” said Zach Suhl, Associate Director, Food and Dining Services, SHHS. “Through initiatives like the Food Waste Audits and the Zero Waste Dining Halls Challenge, we’re not only measuring progress, but actively engaging the McGill community in building a more sustainable food culture.”
McGill University is committed to becoming a zero-waste campus by 2035, with a goal of achieving a 90-per-cent waste diversion rate according to international standards. McGill Student Housing and Hospitality Services fully supports this mission and has implemented initiatives to reduce waste across its dining operations. In addition to designating dining halls as zero waste zones, it introduced the All You Care to Eat meal plan, allowing students to enjoy unlimited servings in a buffet-style setting. This system allowed SHHS to eliminate all single-use packaging in the dining halls, ensuring that compostable waste is now the only waste generated.