Pines Elementary School has launched a composting program to help reduce the volume of trash produced and to create nutritious compost for the flower beds. The students will begin by composting fruits and vegetables. They will be taught to separate their waste between the trash can and the “compost bin” when they dispose of their lunch byproducts.
Each week, one elementary school class will be responsible for transferring the contents of the “compost bin” to the compost tumbler that is located at the cafeteria end of the courtyard. At 1:45 p.m., a small group of students from the weekly designated class will come to the cafeteria, roll the “compost bin” to the courtyard door and carefully transfer the waste into one of the compost tumblers. They will then rotate both sides of the tumbler to mix the contents. The compost tumbler is a side-by-side unit, and only one side will be used at a time. Once that side is full, the other side will be used while the content of the first side decomposes. If all goes well, there will be finished compost before the second side is filled.
Pines students also will begin to recycle their lunch trays to help reduce the garbage volume. The trays take less space when they are stacked, and therefore, will require fewer trash bags to be used. Eventually, all lunch trays will be recycled at facilities on Long Island, and the Pines students will be fully prepared for when the tray recycling process is fully implemented in all the schools.
