Seeing is Believing, as Broadview and Maywood Schools go Zero Waste
Sometimes, seeing is believing. Beye Elementary School in Oak Park School District 97, has been implementing a zero waste program in the lunchroom for many years. As a school in the Cross Community Climate Collaborative (C4), it was the perfect place to bring other school districts in C4 communities to see a zero waste program first-hand.
The Problem
Achieving zero waste in a lunchroom can be a daunting task. Many communities lack the resources and infrastructure to implement effective waste diversion programs. School districts in Broadview and Maywood had the desire to go green but had no idea where to start. There were no readily available organics haulers in the area as well as no existing zero waste template in their communities to utilize for guidance.
SGA's approach
SGA’s ZWS program utilized the C4 community to offer and conduct a tour for school faculty from Broadview and Maywood at Beye Elementary in Oak Park. Beye Elementary has been sorting their waste long enough for the students and staff to be experts. The staff of Broadview and Maywood got to see the set up and sorting process in person during an active lunch period. After observing the lunchroom, both school districts felt confident to start the program at their respective schools.
“Seeing the zero waste schools program on a recent tour of Beye Elementary in Oak Park got us inspired and excited to start our own..The Village of Broadview is proud to help lead the way in zero waste among C4 communities. This program will not only help us reach our sustainability goals, but will also be a great learning opportunity for our students”.
Village of Broadview, Mayor Katrina Thompson
About the Sustainability Impact
School lunchrooms contribute to large amounts of food waste being tossed in the landfills. Food waste emits a potent greenhouse gas, methane, that can be easily avoided through composting and other food diversion tactics. Both Broadview School District 92 and Maywood School District 89 implemented commercial composting and shared tables to contribute to the community’s sustainability goals. By implementing the ZWS program in these school districts Broadview and Maywood achieved incredible results such as:
- Reaching an 80% average diversion rate
- Saving 145 lbs (day of launch) of edible food saved from going unwanted
- Educating over 1,000 students on climate change and sustainability