The Story Behind The Dining Hall’s Food Waste Bins

In the last few weeks, Bennington students might have noticed the addition of two clear bins for uneaten food by the conveyor belt in the dining hall. This is part of the new food-waste initiative adopted by the college through a partnership with the startup company Albi.

According to co-founder Harry Morton, Albi collects data and creates content to help college students visualize the impact of food waste. Students empty their excess food into the clear bins which are taken to the kitchen and weighed. Using a QR code, the weight is imputed into a form which Gemini AI uses to track the data and come up with ideas for cutting down food waste, whether that be through student engagement or other waste-reduction strategies throughout the dining hall menu or portions. 

By observing the “daily plate waste,” Albi is able to quantify the school’s waste trends over time. Morton and fellow co-founder Matt Morrish then work with the school’s dining employees to incorporate strategies for reducing food waste using this data.

Since Bennington is still in the cost-free pilot stage of the program, this step has yet to be taken. Once a school completes the pilot, Albi charges the institution based on how many students are being served at their dining hall(s). The lowest price tier is $5,000 a year.

Albi has already been implemented at a handful of colleges, including Hartwick College and St. Bonaventure University. Morton shared that since launching the program at Hartwick just over a year ago, Albi charted an 8% decrease in the food waste produced per student.

Bennington College’s data is compared to the amount of food waste being generated by other schools partnering with Albi, and so far, has been trending below the regional average. That being said, the school produced over 8,000 lbs of food waste this term. Or, to put it in Albi-terms, 32,000 hamburgers worth of waste.

Morton and Morrish want to utilize their backgrounds in technology and consulting to combat the rampant food waste problem, and they are currently developing their own AI platform that will serve as the basis for Albi. Their long-term goal is to partner with every school, from elementary through higher education, globally.

All of the data Albi has collected at Bennington is available via the QR codes that can be found on their banners in the dining hall. Students can also subscribe to the company’s newsletter and receive regular updates about the school’s food waste management.