Keller Elementary has started a composting project around its school lunch program. When students finish their lunch, they can recycle their lunch tray, dump any food scraps into a compost bin, or place uneaten food on a cart to be donated.
"We just started but it's going great thus far," said Marcie Dryden, Principal at Keller. "The students are really invested and taking an active role to participate."
Claudine Goeddeke is the parent heading up the project at Keller. "Every day at lunch, we are composting trays from the school lunches and collecting any extra unopened and prepackaged food." The extra food is donated daily to the Salvation Army on Main Street for their clients needing food assistance. Country Oaks is the company that is handling the food composting for Keller. After kicking off the program, Keller added to their composting efforts by composting milk cartons and food waste.
“This is such a fun way to be involved as a parent. It’s reducing so much waste at lunchtime; the best thing is seeing the students get passionate about composting too. Thank you to our friends at Oak Ridge for showing us the way!" said Goeddeke.
"This small form of action is making a huge impact on our school's culture. The composting project at Keller has allowed our students to feel empowered to make a positive change in our environment. I am so grateful to Claudine Goeddeke and our parent volunteers for providing this positive experience for our students," added Principal Dryden.