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Schoolwide Composting Program at CREC Two Rivers Middle School Making an Impact
(East Hartford, CT) A schoolwide composting program at CREC Two Rivers Middle School has diverted 7,496 pounds of food scraps from the landfill since 2015, enough to offset emissions from 214 gallons of gasoline – the equivalent of 4,197 pounds of carbon dioxide. The figures come from Blue Earth Compost, a local food scrap pick-up service that CREC Two Rivers has been using since 2015 for its composting program. The company collects all types of food waste, including meat, sauces, napkins and milk cartons. Since switching to Blue Earth Compost, students have been encouraged to compost food scraps, milk cartons, and napkins in the cafeteria.
“What an impact!” said Kennan Poulakos, Environmental Theme coach at CREC Two Rivers Middle School. “The program is a work in progress and we are constantly looking for ways to improve. We are proud of what we have collected so far and plan on boosting those numbers in the future!”
CREC Two Rivers, an environmentally-themed STEM school, has composted on a small scale for years but started composting schoolwide in 2014 using bins on campus. They switched to Blue Earth Compost because it can accommodate more types of food. As a result, CREC Two Rivers was one of three Connecticut schools to be awarded the distinction of being named a 2016 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School.
