From the department of "Hey! That makes sense when you think about it."

An article from the Times reports, Without cafeteria trays, colleges find savings. Apparently, a number of New York colleges (Rochester Institute of Technology among them) has eliminated cafeteria trays and found that it reduced food waste and saved costs in water and energy needed to wash them.

More dubiously,

another benefit: “preparation for the cocktail-party circuit” by having to balance dishware and cutlery. “You eventually have to learn how to hold your hors d’oeuvre and cocktail in one hand while making animated conversation with the other,” he said, “so it’s a life lesson.”