New York State Office of General Services has announced a series of green initatives in conjunction with earth day that will reduce solid waste generated by the state capitol complex’s in-house dining operations. Sodexho manages nine outlets in the Empire State Plaza that serve more than 9,500 customers daily. Among the initiatives are the introduction of biodegradable servingware to replace the estimated 2.5 million pieces of polystyrene foam the operations generate annually, a new pilot composting project that will require cafeteria patrons to separate waste material after they finish eating.