Mr conf. 2015 schools a.donovan final

Recycling and Composting in K-12 Schools:

Basics and Beyond…

Composting and recycling have reduced TFHS’ trash by 40%!2009= 20 c.y. trash/week!2010= 16 c.y. trash/week; added recycling for plastic, metal, glass2011= 12 c.y. trash/week; added 2 c.y. compost2015= YOU are composting 80 cubic yards each year!

Amy Donovan, Program Director

Pictured: Sorting station at Turners Falls HS/MSCafeteria, Montague

Franklin County Solid Waste Management District: 22 towns

• Bernardston ES• Buckland/Shelburne ES• Colrain ES• Conway ES• Deerfield ES• Erving ES• FC Tech School• Frontier MS/HS• Gill ES• Hawlemont (on-site)• Heath ES• Leverett ES

• Pearl Rhodes (Leyden) ES• Mahar MS/HS• Mohawk MS/HS• Montague ES (2) • Northfield ES• Orange ES (2) • Pioneer MS/HS• Rowe ES• Sunderland ES• Swift River ES• Turners Falls MS/HS• Warwick ES (3 bin on-site)• Whately ES

All schools recycle paper/cardboard, cans/bottles, 16 cafeteria/kitchen compost programs (60%)

27 schools: Green= cafeteria/kitchen compost programs

Save money Educate students Comply with MA waste bans Save space in landfills Save energy, water, natural resources, create jobs Slow climate change!

Why should schoolscompost and recycle?

Pictured: classroom trash can, bottle and can recycling bin, paper recycling bin at Turners Falls High School

Starting or improving a school waste diversion program

Save money on trash hauling: smaller trash dumpster or less frequent pickup. Recyclables hauled for less $.

Go out to bid for competitive pricing, or ask hauler. Check all areas of school for bins: kitchen, cafeteria,

gym, copy rooms, classrooms, offices, entrances, fields. Educate students and staff!

Assembly: why, what, how… cafeteria monitoring

Get free bins, plus activities, lesson plans from MassDEP’s Green Team: www.thegreenteam.org

MassDEP SMRP School Recycling Assistance Grants Free or low cost ACE Climate Assembly HS/MS: schedule

at launch of new program: www.acespace.org

Free equipment from The Green Team

National Honor Society students collect recyclables from Green Team bins, Mohawk High School, Shelburne Falls, MA >>

<<Recycling toters in cafeteria,Mahar High School, Orange, MA

Types of recycling and hauling/containers

• Dual Stream: Paper and cardboard kept separate from bottles, cans and containers

• Toters for bottles/cans• Toters for paper• Dumpster for

cardboard/paper

• Single stream: all recyclables together

• Dumpster for all recyclables

• Keep trash out: label/educate well

Make sure your school kitchen is recycling!

Mass DEP Waste Bans require recycling!

Recycling in cafeteria:

Bottles Cans, aluminum foil

Juice/milk boxes (empty liquids, throw away straws)

Empty yogurt containers

Milk + Juice Carton Recycling

Springfield MRF’s 72 western MA towns:Do not need to rinse cartons if:

Collect cartons separately In clear plastic bag No straws, bottles, etc. Empty liquids

Ask your hauler or MRF…

• At home/dual stream: recycle w/containers, NOT w/paper• (Some compost facilities accept for composting)

Empty liquids

• Cartons must be empty for recycling.

• Keep liquid weight and mess out of trash/recycling.

• 5 gallon pail on small table or floor.

• Teach kids to be neat.• Signage and

education important.

Carton Councilwww.recyclecartons.com

Website resources:Signage, Best Practices Guide with pictures of school programs, School Carton Recycling Guide, more….

Composting and recycling help slow Climate Change

Climate Change is caused by greenhouse gases in earth’s atmosphere.

Greenhouse Gases:

• Carbon Dioxide

• Methane (food waste in landfills)

• Nitrous Oxide

The Climate Change Connection

• When organically based materials (“organics”) such as food waste (and paper of all types) decay in a landfill, methane is released.• Methane is a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Methane pipe at a landfill

Martin’s Farm in Greenfield accepts compost from schools:Pioneer HS/MS, Turners Falls HS,Mohawk HS/MS,Frontier HS/MS,Bernardston ES,Deerfield ES,Erving ES, Gill ES,2 Montague ES,Northfield ES, Sunderland ES,

Muni. organics programs, Shelburne Falls Compost Collab.

Big Y stores, G. Stop & Shop,Co-Ops…

Windrow turner at Martin’s Farmturns/stirs windrows.

Why doesn’t composting release methane? Because oxygen is part of the composting process. There is no oxygen in a landfill.

Windrows at Martin’s Farm, Greenfield, MA

3 “sizes” of composting:what size is right for your school?

Small: Indoor worm bin (vermicomposting) Red wiggler worms

Newspaper bedding Raw vegs, fruits only No meat, bones, dairy,

oils, bread

Medium: Backyard or on-site composting

Yard waste, leaves Veggies, fruit, bread No meat, bones, dairy,

oils

Warwick, MA Elementary School60 students, K-6th

Composts on site: Cafeteria/kitchen food waste, plus classrooms Has 3 bay system: adds to one at a time Custodian maintains; students very involved Parents bring leaves for carbon source Garden: grows food for caf.

Large: Commercial Composting at compost farm accepts: ALL food: meat, bones, cheese, fats, oils, bread, vegs, fruitPaper: napkins, paper lunch trays, paper plates, paper boats, cupsAlso: some compostable plastics (PLA), woodUp to 89% of a school lunch is compostable!

Windrows at Bear Path Farm, Whately, MAEnacted Oct. 1, 2014: MassDEP waste

ban on food waste - more than 1 ton/week from commercial/institutional. For help: www.recyclingworksma.com

DO compost:

ALL FOOD: yes, all! Meat, bones, fish,

chicken, cheese Fruits, vegetables Bread, pasta, rice

Paper: Napkins, paper towels Fiber lunch tray Fiber paper plates Paper bags

Some composters accept: Milk/juice cartons

Paper plates, paper cups

Food “boat”

Off-Site School Organics Program:Turners Falls HS/MS

32 gal. “Comp-lete” compostable bag by Fortune Plastics

28 gal Brute trash can on a rolling dolly

2 yard compost dumpster: serviced weekly by Triple T Trucking

Composted @ Martin’s Farm

Off Site School Compost Program:Turners Falls MS/HS

In cafeteria, one sorting station contains: 2 compost barrels w/green compostable bags: food + paper 2 pails: milk + liquids 1 recycle bin: bottles, cans, containers, juice boxes 2 trash barrels (Formerly 9 trash barrels all over cafeteria!!)

Middle School Green Team monitors MS lunch.

Celebrating 3 years of Mohawk HS/MScompost program!March 2012 – 2015

Congratulations!

YOU have composted:• 240 cubic yards,• or over 60 tons,• or 8 huge dumpstersof food and paper!

• Saved 55 metric tons of greenhouse gases*• Saved 3,200+ bags of trash!• Saved space in landfills• Created soil from waste

*metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E)

Advanced: “Hydration Stations”

Water stations make it easy to refill student water bottles.

Halsey Taylor Water Cooler W/HydroBoost Water Refilling Station

Advanced:Classroom composting

In pail:

Paper TowelsNapkinsMilk CartonsFood Plastic!

Pioneer Regional School: 17 waste stations around school

Litter hurts wildlife: Don’t be a litterbug!Balloons Blow…Don’t Let Them Go!

Pictured: Earth Machine compost bin at Turners Falls High School’s greenhouse. Within the 4 school sites of Gill-Montague Regional School District, there are: 4 worm bins, 4 on-site compost bins, Gardens at 3 out of 4 sites, 8 total cubic yards compostables sent to a compost farm each week. All sites recycle paper and containers, computers, fluorescent lamps, e-waste

Questions? Link to worm bin how-to:Amy DonovanProgram Director, Franklin County Solid Waste [email protected] www.franklincountywastedistrict.org