<p>Here at 'Nova, one of the dining halls (St. Mary’s) is trayless. I think people do think about what they want to eat. When you have a bowl of cereal, something to drink, and want to get fruit, the tray comes in very handy. Not to mention (well, I’m just being redundant now) the fact that a lot of crumbs/spills end up on the trays.</p>
<p>When people don’t need the trays (at the dining halls that have them), they don’t use them, and I haven’t noticed a lot of waste (even with one meal = all you can eat until you leave).</p>