SGA’s Zero Waste Schools Program began at Holmes Elementary School in Oak Park in 2008. The Oak Park and River Forest Zero Waste Program is now funded by PlanItGreen through the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. SGA launched the Oak Park and River Forest Green Team Collaborative in 2012. The collaborative, which consists of parents, school/district staff, and administration, was formed to share best practices and ideas between schools to reduce waste, recycle, compost and teach students to be environmental leaders

Highlights

Collectively, Oak Park and River Forest schools divert an average of 85% of their lunchroom waste from landfills through recycling and commercial composting.

Oak Park and River Forest High School began kitchen composting in 2012. In 2016, they started participating in the Surplus Project, in which cafeteria staff repackages surplus prepared foods into individual meals that volunteers from the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry deliver to Youth Outreach Services.

Beye Elementary School diverts 96% of its lunchroom waste from landfill– typically generating a mere 2 lbs of lunchroom trash per day for its 425 students.

All 10 District 97 schools are now diverting liquids, food scraps, organic materials, and recyclable items from the landfill.

The Zero Waste Schools Program has been launched at the following schools:

District 97

Beye Elementary School, launched in 2019

Brooks Middle School, launched in 2015

Hatch Elementary School, launched in 2016

Holmes Elementary School, launched in 2016

Irving Elementary School, launched in 2017

Julian Middle School, launched in 2013

Lincoln Elementary School, launched in 2019

Longfellow Elementary School, launched in 2019

Mann Elementary School, launched in 2017

Whittier Elementary School, launched in 2009

District 90

Lincoln Elementary School, launched in 2017

Roosevelt Middle School, launched in 2017

Willard Elementary School, launched in 2017

District 200

Oak Park and River Forest High School, launched in 2012

Private Schools

Alcuin Montessori School, launched in 2022

Ascension Elementary School, launched in 2016

St. Giles Elementary School, launched in 2015

The Children’s School, launched in 2018

Trinity High School, launched in 2016