I need help (this may sound strange) but it's about lunch trays. Just Questions!?!
Answers: Well, I'm in Student Council and we want to switch to plastic trays, because we don't want styraphone (spelling) anymore, and,for some reason, I was chosen to do so. So I have a few questions for everyone. One- Does your school use plastic trays? Two- Does it have a piece of paper on the tray? Three- Do you like have it plastic instead?
My university switches off between paper plates and plastic trays.
The main concern about using plastic trays is that you have to wash them. This means a considerable spike in the amount of water your school will use/need, which isn't necessarily very expensive but it *is* wasteful. Your school will also have to invest pretty heavily in dish soap and things like that, though. If you use washing machines, you'll need to make sure they're big and won't break down. If you use sinks, you'll need to make sure there's a way for the staff to easily use the soap and water with a good amount of efficiency. One good way of doing this is to have a hose that is always connected to a mix of soap and water to use for washing dishes. This makes sure you're not wasting any soap by having a set mix, and also removes an extra step in the cleaning process of hundreds of dishes.
Of course, throw-away items like paper plates are very wasteful too, especially if they're not recycled.
I would say that in the end, plastic trays are worth it, but as commentors said above, they require more work from the staff. Believe me, I've worked in kitchens before, and washing things like trays and dishes is the most time-consuming work. I guess overall I'd just say make sure your kitchen is prepared for all the work that goes with the new plastic trays! There'd be nothing worse than having a backload of a bunch of unuseable, dirty trays after all the investment!
At my university we use plastic trays, no paper. I like plastic... they don't break and they're sturdy and reusable. However, they do need to be cleaned, and this adds a lot of work for the kitchen staff...
It sounds like you go to high school, and that would probably be a bigger issue there (if it's public, there's not as much income as a university). But it's definitely worth it... both more convenient for students, and helpful for the environment! Good luck.
my school doesn't use plastic trays but they should cuz its healthier than Styrofoam , it doesn't come with paper , plastic is better