Diverting food scraps in school kitchens and cafeterias is catching on in central Vermont! The CVSWMD School Composting Program, recipient of the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence and Pollution Prevention, develops composting programs for elementary, middle, and high school cafeterias and kitchens. Our free training program offers all of the technical and hands-on information and materials needed to successfully transition students and staff to food scrap diversion. District staff will continue to work with your school to ensure the program works for you over time.
CVSWMD staff training students to divert food scraps in
the cafeteria and take full buckets to outside bins for pickup.
Why Take Part?
Food scraps make up a lot of the trash produced at schools every day, and it’s material that doesn’t need to be treated like garbage! When diverted to composting, food scraps become a resource that can be used to replenish nutrients in soils to grow more food. In addition, participating schools are encouraged to renegotiate their trash contracts which may reduce disposal bills.
Diverting food scraps to composting has many benefits for the school community. To learn more about the program and how your school can take part, contact the CVSWMD School Zero Waste Coordinator at 802-229-9383 ext.111 or e-mail schoolcoordinator@cvswmd.org
Materials for Participating Schools
Note: The following are some of the components of our School Organics Program. While we’re always happy to answer questions about our program, the poster is for use by participating schools only.
- Training Videos: Our training videos were created to train students and staff at area schools to divert food scraps from the waste stream. The videos were developed specifically for CVSWMD’s School Organics Program, but they can be used by other schools to teach students about composting.
- This link will bring you to the Middle-High School training video, which was created by Hazen Union Students in association with Highfields Institute (Hardwick, VT). This video is ideal for training students in grades 5-12.
- This link will bring you to the Elementary School training video, which was created by students in association with CVSWMD. This video is ideal for training students in grades 2-4
- CVSWMD School Cafeteria Poster: The poster we use in elementary and middle-school cafeterias to serve as a visual reminder of what goes in the food waste bucket, and what doesn’t. Contact schoolcoordinator@cvswmd.org
- Do the Rot Thing: A Teacher’s Guide to Compost Activities: This activity booklet, originally produced by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (CA), includes classroom activities and student project ideas. Click here to download(PDF – 2.5 MB)
- Spinning Scraps into Soil: Classroom Activities Using a Compost Tumbler: This CVSWMD booklet was developed to support school efforts with on-site composting by using the composting process as a means to scientific inquiry. The booklet draws on activities developed and/or published by Cornell University. Although designed for use with a tumbler compost unit, most of the activities can be adapted for use with traditional backyard bins. Click here to download (PDF – 2.3 MB)
