A Waste-Preventing Initiative from Balıkesir University

An Anti-Waste Initiative from Balıkesir University

The “Eat As Much As You Want, Prevent Waste” initiative launched at the Educational Practice Facilities of Balıkesir University Burhaniye Faculty of Applied Sciences has been attracting attention. The program, in which students from the Tourism Management and Hotel Management and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts departments take part, helps prevent waste and is also appreciated by the guests.

In the district of Burhaniye, the application launched during the pandemic period with the slogan “Eat As Much As You Want, Prevent Waste” at the Educational Practice Facilities of Balıkesir University Burhaniye Faculty of Applied Sciences has attracted attention.
The initiative, in which students from the Tourism Management and Hotel Management and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts departments take part, helps prevent waste and is appreciated by the guests.

With the application started about three years ago at the Faculty of Applied Sciences Practice Hotel, which has 144 rooms and 320 beds, waste has been reduced and the system has also drawn interest from visitors. At the facility, which hosts approximately 30,000 guests annually, students serve the food requested by guests individually while standing at the food stations.

The Dean of Burhaniye Faculty of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Oğuzhan İlban, stated that the application has also attracted attention on social media and that the main goal of the system is to prevent waste. Emphasizing the benefits of the practice, Dean İlban said:
“Especially in recent years in Turkey, waste has increased due to the all-inclusive system. Since the pandemic period, we have developed a system in our Education and Practice Facility to help prevent this waste. In this system, we give our guests only the amount of food they want and can eat. Because we are an educational and practice facility, we implement this system together with our students. Our main aim was to draw attention to the problems experienced in food production around the world. Guests come and choose the products they want, and our students show and serve them one by one. In this way, hygienic conditions are ensured and waste is prevented. Therefore, our facility has recently received significant praise on social media in Turkey. We will continue working to maintain this system.”

Hasan Kaan Boğoçlu, who works in the kitchen, said:
“While serving at the Practice Hotel, we are doing our best to prevent waste, as our dean mentioned. We are happy to work here throughout the summer and complete our internship. Our working conditions are very good and comfortable.”

Guest Seçkin Temur said:
“Instead of the standard open buffet system we know, there is a different system here. Thanks to this system, waste is prevented and consumption becomes more controlled. Moreover, this system fits well with Turkish culture. Instead of everyone taking food from a common buffet, there is interaction between the person serving and the guest. It is also more suitable for service culture.”

Another guest, Süleyman Atakan, stated:
“I found the open buffet application at this hotel very successful. Meals and breakfasts are prepared according to the number of rooms and guests, which minimizes leftover or wasted food. This helps prevent waste. We find this application very successful and hope that other hotels will adopt it as well.