Bridges Elementary School

Composting in our Cafeteria

Did you know most kids don't eat their entire lunch? This creates a lot of food waste! Lots of that wasted food can be composted, but it is instead sent to the landfill! In our cafeteria, we can look at all the food waste and compost items like fruits and vegetables. This compost can be used in our school garden to hep our plants fully grow. with all of these compostable items in our trash, we can separate them, compost what we can and make our cafeteria better for everyone, and help the Earth.

What can we Compost?

When composting, there are certain things that you can and can't compost! Here's a list of things that we found thrown away that can be composted.

• Oranges
• Apples
• Pickles
• Corn
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Bread
• Broccoli
• Grapes
• Bananas

Here's a list of things that can not be composted.

• Chicken
• Yogurt
• Plastic
• Beef Jerkey
• Candy
• Chips
• Cheese
• Deli Meat
• Sugary Drinks

How can we Compost? 

Step One- Set up your bin or pile. Choose an outdoor area for your compost bin.

Step Two- Collect scraps! Use the list above to decide what can and can't be composted. You can find waste around your kitchen and backyard.

Step Three- Now you have to put all the scraps together and wait for them all to decompose and turn into soil.

Step Four- Now, use your compost to fertilize your plants! The compost will be ready when it looks and smells like compost. 

If you do decide to compost, and live near Bridges Elementary, come collect some compost! We will collect food from our cafeteria and turn it into compost for the community to use. So don't worry about making your own!

How does composting help?

Compost helps the enviornment out in many ways, such as helping soil hold carbon dioxide and retain moisture. It also helps to reduce soil erosion. Minerals that were lost in the soil can be replenished with compost materials. It also enriches soil and saves money. Plant diseases can be defeated through the nutrients in the compost materials.