Dive Brief:

• A school district in Washington state is using a variety of ways to teach students about how to prevent food waste and also how to divert food waste for later use as compost.
• The King County Green Schools Program teaches students about waste-free lunches. The program also collects food waste from lunches at county schools and sends it to a composting plant.
• Through videos created by students, morning announcements, waste audits, and other activities, students and teachers are collaborating to learn and teach about the waste stream and various parts of it, including paper.

Dive Insight:

King County Green Schools Program is teaching the young, through a vibrant mix of approaches in learning about the consequences of waste, and also in ways to reduce waste and to recycle.

This program could be a model across the country, though some programs are already ahead of the game. An elementary school in Nebraska composted 90% of cafeteria food waste, and a Pack to Plate program in Georgia is teaching children about food choices that could help prevent waste.