Reducing Food Waste
At Worthington Estates Elementary School, students and staff are tackling one of the community’s biggest challenges: food waste.
FOX28's Alissa Henry visited the school with Joe Lombardi, Executive Director of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), to learn how small changes in the cafeteria are making a big difference.
Lombardi explained that nearly a million pounds of food end up in the Franklin County Landfill each day, accounting for about 15% of all waste. Through SWACO’s Fresh Takes program, available at SaveMoreThanFood.org, schools across the county are teaching students how to keep food out of landfills by composting and sharing uneaten items.
Worthington Estates teacher Arin Kress helped launch the school’s Zero Waste program in 2018 after her students questioned why recycling stopped at the classroom door. Now, students sort their cafeteria waste into recycling, composting, and minimal trash. They also use a Share Table where unopened food can be passed along to other students instead of being thrown away.
Since adopting the program, the school has reduced its cafeteria trash from eight 60-gallon bags a day to just one, diverting more than 8,000 pounds of food waste last year alone. Composting bins behind the school are collected weekly and taken to a local facility to be turned into nutrient-rich soil.
Lombardi encourages families to visit SaveMoreThanFood.org for resources on composting, Share Tables, and tips to reduce food waste at home.