Total food waste

1.The total food waste generated by the school cafeterias at both of NCUE's campuses in 2024 was 5.2 tons (5,200 kg), and the average daily food waste per faculty member and student was 2.46 grams. Compared to the 5.5 tons (5,500 kg) of food waste generated in 2023, which resulted in an average daily food waste per faculty member and student of 2.60 grams, this reduction of 0.14 grams indicated a notable improvement in our food waste reduction efforts. (Table 1.)

Table 1. Daily Average Food Waste per NCUE Faculty Member and Student

Note: The calculation formula is based on the year 2024.

(1) Daily average food waste generation = Annual food waste/Number of working days in a Year (5 working days per week * 52 weeks = 260 days): 5.2 tons/260 days = 0.020 tons (20,000 grams).

(2) Average food waste per faculty member and student = Daily food waste/Total number of faculty members and students in the school (7,308 students + 805 faculty members = 8113 people): 20,000 grams/8,113 people = 2.46 grams.)

2. NCUE abides by the United Nations principle of cherishing food without waste, promoting and advocating the guideline of "take as much as you can eat, serve appropriate portions, avoid excess" to teachers and students. NCUE encourages school cafeterias to use ingredients produced by local small-scale farmers, which not only creates fresh and delicious meals but also reduces the carbon footprint from ingredient transportation, effectively minimizing food waste and kitchen waste (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Buffet Meals Made by NCUE Cafeterias Using Local Ingredients

Campus population

The campus population is 8,113, with 7,308 students in undergraduate program and 805 staff.

1. A total of 7,308 students: 5,079 in bachelor’s programs; 1,767 in master's programs; 462 in doctoral programs. (Figure 2)

Figure 2: Campus Population

2. A total of 805 staff: 361 teachers, 84 staff, 5 technicians, 214 staff with endowment funds, and 141 project assistants in the programs. (Figure 3)

Figure 3: Faculty Numbers