The studies have been done, and the results are in. The combined amount of food wasted at three of the dining centers on campus, during one typical weekday dinner last month, came out to a total of a whopping 491.75 pounds — and that was only one meal.

From this, it is clear that more initiative needs to be taken by the university and by students in order to solve the food waste issue on campus.

Hey, we get it. You’re paying for it, right? So why not get your money’s worth? And with so many different kinds of food to choose from, why not get a little of everything?

Food waste on college campuses is a gigantic problem that many people aren’t even aware of. But who’s to blame?

Look, you’re not the only one who just can’t seem to finish everything you put on your plate. Everyone has done it before, some more than others — some at every meal. But that little amount of food sent back to the kitchen, forgotten and out of your sight forever, can really start to add up.

More and more colleges across the country are making changes to address food waste problems. Virginia Tech for example, in an attempt to lower the amount of food wasted, has gone “trayless,” eliminating trays and making it harder for students to take more than they can eat. And they aren’t alone.

So what about Iowa State? The dining centers on campus have started studying the flow of food, and measuring the amounts of food wasted, in order figure out what changes need to be made, and how to do it effectively. While this is good, we feel like the process is going too slowly, and more needs to be done now if changes are ever to be made.

Currently, the dining centers are discussing ways to raise awareness, and are in the process of testing various plans, such as eliminating trays for a day. The process is slow, but they aren’t the only ones that can bring about change.

“The more student input we have, the easier it is for us to make changes,” said Linda Berlakovich, sophomore in culinary science and food waste campaign employee.

Ultimately, we feel that it is the university’s responsibility to take more action, raise more awareness and implement more permanent changes immediately, if we are at all serious about addressing the appalling amount of food being wasted on campus every day.