Lunch Out of Landfills Program
Lunch Out of Landfills Program
About 530 million tons-that’s the amount of food wasted every year from K-12 school cafeterias and that doesn’t even include milk. Rotarian Joe Richardson founded Lunch Out Of Landfills (LOOL) in 2018 to address the problem. The simple idea is to involve the students in collecting food that would typically be thrown out-think whole fruits, unopened prepackaged milk, juice, yogurt, vegetables-other intact items that can be recovered. (Note that only cafeteria foods can be involved-not food from home.) These reusable foods can be made available throughout the school day as snacks, or food insecure students can take them home to their families. Typically, a refrigerator is provided to keep the foods safe during the day and week.
We as Rotarians can start a program at our local schools and greatly reduce food waste. Another secondary benefit is establishing a relationship with the schools and students to potentially form Early Act and Interact clubs. I am taking initial steps with Guyer High School in Denton to start a LOOL program and working with the AP Environmental Science teacher, student council and the Green Team to launch it. LOOL is particularly effective in elementary
schools where often student lunches are mandated to include items that they don’t eat.
schools where often student lunches are mandated to include items that they don’t eat.
Here are the steps in the process:
Make an observation of your school cafeteria and note what you see. How much waste is occurring? What resources are already available?
Reach out to a member of the school staff and see if you can get their support to begin working with students, the cafeteria staff, or outside groups to begin organizing a plan for reducing your school food waste. Ask the principal if there’s anything they require of you before getting started.
Reach out to a member of the school staff and see if you can get their support to begin working with students, the cafeteria staff, or outside groups to begin organizing a plan for reducing your school food waste. Ask the principal if there’s anything they require of you before getting started.
Involve cafeteria and building services. They may be reluctant if it means more work for them. Assure them that you’ll work with them and the students to run a program and monitor food waste.
Involve students to begin building a culture of waste reduction. Organize a waste sort or food waste audit to understand the bigger landscape of waste occurring in your school’s cafeteria.
Organize a share table, share refrigerator, or food recovery system for your cafeteria. Work on finding funding, if this is needed to support this system.
Submit a quote to HD Supply to see the cost of the share refrigerator.
Submit a quote to HD Supply to see the cost of the share refrigerator.
Once the start date has been established and the refrigerator delivered roll out the program with fanfare. Have students make posters and have morning announcements made letting student know not to throw away recoverable food like prepackaged and unopened milk, yogurt, fruit and packaged vegetables. Food prepared at home cannot be shared.
Volunteer options might include working at the school at the start of the program and check in periodically with the green team to ensure the program is working or taking food to the food bank or set up a system for Friday collection.
Organize a food collection system for Friday pick up to a local food bank or food rescue. The fridge must be emptied and cleaned each Friday.
LOOL is launching in places like Memphis, Wichita , Los Angeles, San Diego, Albuquerque and Wade County NC. The program is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund for data collection to gauge the impact. Let’s get on the map. https://lunchoutoflandfills.org/
Mike Weaver
District 5790 Environmental Coordinator
mikboy327@gmail.com
940-391-9614
District 5790 Environmental Coordinator
mikboy327@gmail.com
940-391-9614