BY: ETC co-founder Sue Scope
In the spring of 2012, two moms in Chapel Hill noticed that children were eating their school lunches off of polystyrene trays. Surprisingly, most schools in North Carolina had moved away from re-usable trays and were now using polystyrene trays. After doing research, we planned to ask that an alternative solution to these trays be considered. In October 2012, we presented a proposal to Todd LoFrese, Assistant Superintendent, Support Services for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, to replace polystyrene trays in the school lunchrooms with a more suitable tray option if they could not return to reusable trays. By 2012, there were some interesting alternatives to polystyrene, including trays made from corn, paper, sugarcane, and potatoes. The pricing of these trays had become more competitive, and, importantly, these trays were compostable.
That meeting with Todd essentially started an exploration into the feasibility of connecting compostable trays and food waste composting. We found that broadening our idea had many benefits and many advocates. Once the compost question was raised, we found that several environmental and sustainable advocates in the Triangle had already begun thinking about food waste composting as way of reducing landfill waste, which was becoming a bigger land use and pollution issue. These trays could be added to lunch room food waste and go to a compost facility instead of a landfill. Teachers throughout the state had started programs in their schools to teach children about caring for the land, growing food, and other waste issues. A program of composting offered many educational modules in math and science.
Todd gave us the go-ahead to explore the options available in our district. Our work included finding the people in the community who could help, either with knowledge, money, or volunteer hours. At the initial general meeting on 01/15/2013, with over eight people in attendance, a decision was made that a waste audit should be performed prior to a one school pilot. This information would supply the foundation to analyze and compare the results of the actual pilot. Research was conducted on tray costs, landfill waste reduction, best practices and the availability of commercial composting services.
Discussions with schools, the county, and local partners, enabled us to understand the depth of the pilot program and the potential for future expansion. At this point, the district hired a Sustainability Coordinator, Dan Schnitzer, who took on this project and developed a rollout plan. After the initial analysis, the district decided to expand beyond the pilot to all Elementary and Middle schools beginning in the ’14-’15 school year. Essential to this model is the education of the district staff and student body on an ongoing basis. In preparation for the rollout, district staff met with the school custodial staff to discuss the plans, identify concerns and come up with preventative solutions to the changes. While concerned about a changing workload, the custodial staff was encouraged by the pilot programs at four schools, which showed an average reduction in landfill garbage bags of 85% (2 bags down from 14). By going through this training, the custodial staff was able to voice their concerns and share their ideas.
The outreach continued to the district’s parent body, by enlisting parental support in talking to students prior to the rollout as well as signing parents up to volunteer in the cafeterias during the first 2 weeks of school. In all, over 250 parents volunteered for a total of over 500 hours. Parents were encouraged to discuss waste reduction and sorting with their children as well as examine what they send in to the cafeteria if their student brings lunch from home.
Student education has been paramount for the program’s success. Not only will students be the ones doing the majority of the work (the sorting), the compost process opens the doors to experiential education opportunities. High school art students were involved in designing the posters for the cafeterias. The final posters were designed entirely by an art student at East Chapel Hill High who took time to learn the details of what was compostable and recyclable in order to make real-to-life images. The posters were printed on strong, washable boards and posted throughout the district cafeterias.
In partnership with the compost hauler, a presentation was created that teachers could customize for their classroom. The presentation talked about waste vs. compost and showed the actual facility where the district’s compost is going. Individual lesson plans were developed for teachers who were interested in teaching more in depth on the topic. The district stressed using the separation process in the cafeteria as a learning tool, which not only helped to educate the students, but also to gain insight into what was being thrown away.
Because of the success in Chapel Hill, Every Tray Counts (ETC) was formed. ETC hopes to help NC move toward a sustainable future in all schools, both public and private, as soon as it is financially feasible. While using reusable trays is the best solution if possible, compostable trays are a better choice than polystyrene ones. These trays can be combined with food waste to reduce school waste, and eventually reduce costs. North Carolina, like all states, has a long term financial burden when we are using our landfills.
Another advantage of this model is that there are many employment and small business opportunities that will be created. Developing a regional system of compost facilities that can accept food waste from schools opens up the whole state to new industry. There will be a need for facilities, haulers, drivers, facility workers, etc. At a time when there is much discussion in NC about the lack of jobs in rural areas, here is an opportunity that is local, healthy, and long-term.
And let’s not forget what we will be teaching our children. First, of course, we will be teaching them that NC values each community, now and with a look toward the future. We will be teaching them the value of their environment, and how to protect it for the long-term.
Sue Scope, Co-founder, Every Tray Counts
(With thanks to: Dan Schnitzer. Sustainability Coordinator, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, who was very helpful in the writing of this article.)