School Composting

Planning and Implementing a Program for Success

Composting programs at schools are an opportunity to empower an ethic of environmental stewardship and participatory ecology in young minds and for students to build investment in their future. Students, staff, and volunteers find composting to be a rewarding experience that provides the school community with multiple opportunities to practice integrative thinking and take responsibility for the conservation of their resources.

If your school is thinking about starting a composting program, there are several options. Many schools simply separate their food scraps from recyclables and trash, and then transport the compostables to the nearest off-site composting operation, often a local farmer. Highfields’ Close the Loop! programs are one example of how a food scrap collection program can be easily integrated into a school’s food culture this way.  These programs already exist in many communities and where they don’t the model is easily adaptable and scalable for different community situations.

Some schools choose to make compost on-site, particularly when there are existing gardens, providing a full soil-to-soil loop that few children would ever experience otherwise. On-site composting provides a sustainable composting strategy for schools over time if adequate measures are taken and investments made to ensure a highly integrated and effectively managed program. If your school is considering developing an on-site composting program, it is important to take time in advance of making a decision to understand the key points that give on-site programs staying power. Highfields can assist you in this process of developing a robust and durable on-site composting program, but this general overview of on-site composting is meant to help schools start the process with the forethought of experience.