No more lunchtime leftovers for Cascade Ridge
February 23, 2009
By Christopher Huber
Cascade Ridge fourth-grader Jack Sansing, left, second-grader Katie Springborn and fourth-grader Noah Springborn stand in the cafeteria with a new food-recycling bin. Photo by Christopher Huber
Cascade Ridge Elementary fourth grader Noah Springborn isn’t thrilled about having to wear a bright-green tie-die apron in front of the school this week during lunchtime. But he’s willing to do it for a worthy cause.
So is his “Green Team” partner, and fellow fourth-grader, Jack Sansing. He actually kind of likes the custom-made garb, he said.
It’s not worth it, “if you don’t have something that stands out and looks cool,” said teacher Lynette Springborn.
Starting this week, third- and fourth-grade volunteers will be wearing the aprons as they direct their classmates to use the proper recycling bins after lunch.It’s all part of the school’s brand new food recycling and composting program.
Cascade Ridge is the sixth school in the Issaquah School District to implement the program, according to district resource conservation manager John Macartney.
The school is working with Cedar Grove Composting.
Fourteen schools in the Lake Washington School District have similar programs, but none in Sammamish, said Kathryn Reith, LWSD director of communications.
During the first week, students will learn to separate their lunch scraps and packaging into five different bins — leftover milk, milk cartons (wax-coated), paper-glass-plastic, garbage and food scraps. Even the collection bags are compostable.
“It’ll probably be a challenge the first couple of days, Lynette Springborn said.
But, based on the district’s past success with the program, Cascade Ridge stands to save some money, as well as reduce garbage output.
When finished with lunch, a student recycles the food into the bins. It is transported to the larger collection bins outside of the building and is eventually hauled away by a Cedar Grove truck. Within 60 days, Macartney said, the food becomes compost.
“If done properly, we can actually reduce the garbage costs,” Macartney said. “The overall actual garbage and recycling costs would be decreased.”
In the 2006-2007 school year, four district schools, including Sunny Hills Elementary, in Sammamish, saved the district nearly $17,000 in disposal costs, according to the King County Solid Waste Division Web site.
Macartney emphasized the educational benefit of the program.
“We get better overall recycling with this program in place,” he said. “It just becomes more of a culture.”
Cascade Ridge is the second school to start the program this year — Issaquah’s Clark Elementary kicked off the food-recycling program Feb. 18. The goal, Macartney said, is to have all 23 of its schools add the composting program to their traditional recycling practices.
“We expect this to expand next year to include probably every building,” he said.
The district has been working with King County’s Green Schools program to conserve natural resources through recycling practices and student education since late 2007, Macartney said. But the ISD has “been in recycle mode” since 2005.
The district began the food recycling program at Issaquah Valley Elementary and Issaquah Middle School, he said, and it just grew from there.
“One of the primary reasons for doing this is because it’s the right thing to do,” Macartney said, (but also) taking care of our planet and educating kids on how to handle recyclables — so many of the haulers in our community take food waste.”
At Cascade Ridge, four volunteers from each third- and fourth-grade class (about 40 total) are in charge of manning the bins during lunchtime, a week at a time, Lynette Springborn said.
Some of the young students seem to be happy to take charge.
“Some day our world will be a better place if you just start with a small difference,” Sansing said after he donned his freshly dyed “Green Team” apron.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
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