Schools nationwide reduce cafeteria food waste through composting, shared tables and student-led initiatives

Food waste in school cafeterias costs institutions money and generates methane in landfills, while millions of children face food insecurity and schools balance strict federal meal requirements with tight budgets.

• •Public schools across the U.S. serve more than 30 million lunches each day, largely through the USDA National School Lunch Program.
• •A World Wildlife Fund analysis of 46 schools in eight states estimated that schools nationwide waste about 530,000 tons of food per year, costing $1.7 billion.
• •Lovin Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, conducted its first food audit in 2018 and found 589 pounds of discarded food during a single two-hour lunch period.
• •Lovin Elementary introduced share tables and refrigerators for unopened items, dropping food waste by nearly one third in subsequent audits.
• •Lovin Elementary expanded its program to include on-site composting, vermicomposting with worms, feeding scraps to a chicken coop, and providing unclaimed food to a local nonprofit's garden and community food pantry.
• •Baltimore City Public Schools operates a 33-acre learning farm to teach students about food production and reduce cafeteria waste.
• •USDA resources for reducing school waste include conducting food audits, creating share tables, scheduling recess before lunch, and extending lunchtime.
• •School budgets, federal meal balance requirements, and strict food safety rules act as barriers or constraints for districts trying new waste-reduction strategies.