Every day, public schools in the U.S. generate about 14,500 tons of municipal solid waste, and approximately 42% of that is food packaging. The waste crisis in America is costing taxpayers more every year as landfills close and old incinerators shut down. It’s a massive problem, but the Arlington, Massachusetts, school district is piloting some creative zero-waste solutions!
First, thanks to the work of local Green teams, most Arlington school cafeterias have a Share Table where kids can swap unopened food rather than throwing it away. The cafeterias also have separate recycling and food-scraps collection, and a liquids bucket to keep as much waste out of the trash as possible.
Then, in 2022, a team of students collaborated with Rachel Oliveri, the Arlington Public School’s (APS) Sustainability Project Manager, and Denise Boucher, the APS Food Nutrition Director, to begin a multi-school transition to reusable dining ware and bulk condiment dispensers, so they could eliminate plastic forks and disposable condiment packages. So far, 4 of the 10 schools have switched to stainless steel cutlery and bulk condiment dispensers, and one school also has reusable stainless steel trays. The district reached out to Clean Water’s ReThink Disposable team (that’s me!) to help with a case study to document their impact. What we found was astonishing!
The district is now saving almost $13,000 annually and preventing 3.6 tons of single-use trash! Surprisingly, the biggest impact came from the simple switch to bulk ketchup dispensers, eliminating 50,000 single-use ketchup dip cups!
Saving money isn’t the only benefit! Condiment packets were a major source of contamination in composting bins at the schools. Now, there’s less waste, fewer ways to contaminate their compost, and students are engaging with administrators to create more sustainable practices.
This Plastic Free July, we’re highlighting the real ways local organizers, like this amazing team in Arlington, can make a big impact. Clean Water’s ReThink Disposable campaign is partnering with schools, restaurants, and events across the country to eliminate single-use plastic trash AND save them money.
Is your school or business next? Reach out to us!
Learn More about ReThink Disposable HERE!
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