In the summer of 2017 Sue Scope, executive director of Every Tray Counts (ETC), met with Sherry Schliesser and Barb Fair, the principal and assistant principal respectively, to discuss the benefits of our full pilot program at Kingswood Elementary in Cary, NC. Our full pilot program includes liquid waste, trays, and lunchroom and kitchen compostable waste diversion away from the landfill.
At the time, ETC provided the funding and the volunteers to replace polystyrene trays with compostable trays and to set up a food waste diversion and hauling program. As of January 2019, Wake County Public School Systems has replaced all polystyrene trays with a compostable alternative so funding for trays is no longer needed.
We have had incredible success with this program at Kingswood Elementary, and below we highlight what a week by week for a full pilot program looks like with Every Tray Counts: These notes are an example of the simple rules and reminders that are often helpful on a day by day basis.
Week 1: How to walk through the line
- Stop at the first X (in the lunchroom). Wait for the next position to be open.
- Liquids that get poured into the sink are milk, water, juice, or a similar thin liquid only.
- Any carton with a small hole, like a Capri Sun or juice carton, goes directly into the trash bin.
- Anything with any plastic or foil in it goes in the trash bin.
- We have expanded the compost to include paper muffin wrappers and wooden sticks.
Week 2 & 3: Goals
- Focus on the table. Alert the 3,4,5th graders and introduce the idea that they will/ can do this on their own shortly.
- Identify issues for the Pre-K, K, 1, 2 graders.
- Decide how the program will be self-sustaining. Assign a co-head volunteer!
Week 2: Separating at the table
- They cannot make any changes to the tray once they are in line.
- Straws should be out of cartons.
Week 4:
- Time to point out the stars and helpers. Congratulate them and ask them to help teach their classmates.
- Begin working with Compost Helpers
- “Stop at the first X” needs to be reinforced. This sets the tone for the whole line. Look forward, no fooling around, go to the next X.
- Point out products on the posters for the younger grades, so they can figure it out for themselves. They may still need help so the line moves quickly.
- Begin to ask 3,4,5 graders if they can do it themselves quickly. Then watch them, if possible, and don’t help. If they can’t, it is usually because their tray is not prepared, so let them know how to improve.
- Ask students who know how to separate their tray to identify themselves so they can help others at the table.
Week 5:
- If the student comes up with a separated tray and moves quickly down the line, they will get a star. They must accomplish both.
- Milk cartons with leftover milk will be collected in the lunchroom for the kindergarten class. Time and dexterity are the issues.
- Encourage each student to have their tray ready! Repeat, repeat! Then start to stand back and see how many are doing this on their own.
- Encourage students to help their classmates get their trays ready.
Week 6:
- Always feel free to go out into the lunchroom to the tables to remind people of something or to ask for something.
- Identify the Compost Helpers (CH) as they come into the room. On Mondays you will have to tell them to put their lunchbox down if they have one, and to put the Compost Helper badge on, because they will be new. After that, please try to wait for them to remember, or say “How are you going to get ready”, or something like that. Try to watch as much as possible, not do.
- If you can, take a look at the menu for the day. Perhaps they are serving something that is difficult. For example, the strawberries in syrup was thick enough to pour on the tray if they weren’t going to finish it (oranges in syrup are too liquid). We informed most of the students that they could either leave the cup sealed and put everything in the trash, or pour the strawberry syrup on the tray for composting. Either way, but they had to decide at the table.
- It’s important that the tray is turned over once (once it is over the compost bin), tapped once, turned back over, then placed on the tray table. No shaking! The wall is getting dirty.
- Remind CH’s not to disrupt the line to tell their classmate that they put something in the trash bin that doesn’t belong. Let the student finish the line, so as not to slow the line down, and tell the student when they are leaving the room. We are stressing “Try again tomorrow!”
- Only give a star for 2 things that you actually see. Please don’t give a star unless you see them have a well set up tray, AND go through the line quickly. If you don’t see it, tell them to try again tomorrow.
- Encourage the use of the grabber. Only use it in the compost bin. Pull out anything that doesn’t belong.
- The best solution for the juice boxes is to let them pour the juice out if they have opened the spout, like they open the milk carton. Otherwise, don’t use the sink (too slow).
Kingswood Elementary has been a true partner and has been able to prove what we’ve believed since the establishment of Every Tray Counts – that elementary school is the optimal place for children to begin to think critically about their choices as they relate to the health of the environment. Kingswood elementary staff and students have proven that our four pilot program is easily achievable and that it can become a seamless part of daily school routine.
Have you checked out our School Kit For Composting yet?
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