Every day at school, students complain about how hungry they are and long to get to lunch. At lunch however, students' mindset changes completely. Many pile up food on their plates only to moments later carelessly drop the still half-filled plate straight into the trash. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in the United States, elementary schoolers produce 42.8 pounds of food waste per student per year. The number for middle school is similar at 41.9 pounds but drops at the high school age range to about 27.3 pounds of food waste per student per year. Across the country, WWF estimates that schools produce 530,000 tons of food waste per year. With 76% of food waste ending up in landfills, schools contribute to an estimated 402,800 tons of food waste per year that go to landfills. This waste emits an estimated 217,500 tons of methane gas in landfills, which undoubtedly contributes to the climate crisis. This is entirely avoidable since organic waste, like food, is completely recyclable.
The EPA created a "food recovery hierarchy" diagram that displays best practices for mitigating food waste, which is most definitely applicable in school settings. The most preferred option is to simply reduce the amount of food wasted. In a school lunch context, this would mean students simply putting less on the plate if they are unsure whether they can eat it all. However, many students, especially elementary schoolers who produce the most food waste, do not think about this. So, it is essential to educate students and get them involved and excited about reducing food waste. Suppose young students understand the consequences of throwing out an uneaten sandwich, piece of fruit, carton of milk in simple terms. In that case, they will more likely think twice about not only their actions but ensuring their classmates and family at home follow along.
WWF recently tested out a "food waste audit" initiative in schools across the country, where students were at the forefront of finding out how much food waste they collectively produce. Students and teachers set up multiple bins for different food categories like fruits and vegetables. During lunch, students tossed their food items as usual into the bins. Over the course of four months, students and teachers worked together to take weight measurements to find the average amount of waste produced by the school. Usually, when throwing food out into a trash can, it isn't easy to see just how much has accumulated in just one day. Such initiatives, like food waste audits, bring students together while making food waste more visible to everyone. Like the ones shown in the picture, the open bins make students realize how much and what types of foods are getting wasted the most. Additionally, asking students why they threw the item away can reveal possible sources of the problem. For example, students may say that they did not have enough time to eat, that they did not like the taste of the food, that they would prefer to eat the item later but this is not allowed, or other reasons that may be unique to the school. These audit results can spark meaningful discussions and bring more awareness to the issue of food waste. Food waste audits can help schools acquire valuable information on the scale of the challenge at their school and identify together possible sources, which can lead to tailoring solution strategies accordingly. After all, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to food waste for each individual school.
However, even if schools take meaningful steps, there will inevitably still be some food leftovers. This is where composting can come to the rescue! It may be surprising that composting comes in just one level above the landfill in the EPA's food waste pyramid. Still, nonetheless, it can be a key component of a food waste mitigation strategy at schools. Composting can be even more versatile than only food waste. Other organic waste produced by schools, like leaves and lawn trimmings, can also be included in a school's composting effort. At some schools, setting up multiple compost bins around the campus could effectively prevent food waste from ending up at a landfill. Finished compost can be used in school gardens to bring healthy nutrients to plants, or compost can be used in school landscaping. Even if the school does not have a garden or cannot afford the costs of managing a compost pile, it can implement a commercial collection like for trash and recycling.
Despite high rates of childhood hunger, food waste is still shockingly an issue in schools around the country. A vast majority of food waste from schools ends up in landfills. Simple, effective, and even fun measures like cooperative food waste audits and composting, among many others, can provide avenues for schools to help do their part in combating the climate crisis by cutting back on avoidable waste and thus harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Sources:
https://c402277.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/publications/1271/files/original/FoodWasteWarriorR_CS_121819.pdf?1576689275
https://sustainableamerica.org/blog/why-and-how-your-school-can-do-a-food-waste-audit/
https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
https://thegreenteam.org/recycling-facts/food-waste-reduction/
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/SchoolCompostingLetsGetGrowing.pdf
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