Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Mass. Middle School Launches Program to Reduce Food Waste

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 01/08/20

William Diamond Middle School introduced a new food recovery program on Jan. 2 that aims to reduce food waste in Lexington, Massachusetts. The program is a collaboration between Lexington’s Board of Health, the Public Health Department, parent volunteers and Whitsons Culinary Group, a local newspaper reported. It was approved by the Board of Health in August.

Food recovery is the process of saving edible food that would normally be thrown away and is given to food banks, restaurants, and other food distributors. Food waste makes up about 22 percent of all discarded municipal solid waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“What makes it worthwhile is that we’re able to feed hungry people, but also divert that food waste and make a real sustainability effort,” Public Health Director Kari Sasportas told the Lexington Minuteman. “It’s also a good educational opportunity for the kids to learn about sustainability and the whole cycle of food.”

Students at William Diamond Middle School can now drop off lunch items they did not open or eat like yogurt cups, cheese sticks, milk bottles, apples and bananas and drop them off in a fridge located in the cafeteria. The food items will then be donated to Foodlink, an Arlington-based non-profit.

In addition, the school collaborated with Foodlink, Whitsons, and the health department to create new operating procedures for food service workers in the school district.

The Health Department will evaluate the new program at the end of February and will determine whether or not to implement similar programs to the town’s eight other schools.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.