6 Roanoke City schools reduce waste by composting

Fourth grader Jordan Floyd separates his trash every day after lunch. It’s part of the composting program at Fishburn Park Elementary.

As they go through the line, silverware goes in one bin, recyclables like juice pouches go in another, then the food waste goes into the special compost bin.

“It’s kind of easy once you get used to it,” said Floyd.

Students compost everything they can including paper cups, card board trays, and any left over food from the kitchen.

Fishburn’s not the only school.  This fall Patrick Henry, William Flemming, James Madison, Huff Lane, and the Roanoke Academy for Math and Science also started collecting compostable materials.

A move Fishburn Principal Judy lackey says is already paying off.

“We have reduced our cafeteria waste significantly,” said Lackey.

Lackey says last year the Roanoke City trash truck had to come empty the dumpster three times a week.  She says since they’ve been composting, it only has to come once every week and a half.

PME Composting from Floyd comes every Monday and Thursday to pick up Fishburn’s eight to ten bins full of recyclable waste.

Fifth grader Jake Harman explains why composting is important and said, “Our landfills are filling up and we need to get stuff that can dissolve into the soil really easily and so we can use that ground again.“

Principal lackey says the students are very committed to making sure the right trash goes in the right bin because she says they feel a responsibility to the environment.

For more information on the company who collects the compostable materials, go to http://www.poplarmanorenterprises.com