The CT's ministry Bethany School, a K-8 Episcopal school in Glendale, Ohio, was recently awarded the Waste Innovation Grant from Hamilton County R3Source, a recycling and waste reduction assistance program.
The grant will be used to purchase cafeteria kitchen equipment to help the school achieve their 70% cafeteria waste diversion by 2025 goal. In May of 2022, two cafeteria lunch audits were conducted by Bethany's middle school club, the "Eco-Hawks." These audits revealed that over 70% of their cafeteria landfill-destined waste stream was either compostable and recyclable if sorted correctly. In addition, many of the single-use lunch offerings could be replaced by bulk dispensers and reusable items. Commercial food waste composting is included in their grant match, which will be supplied by composting courier GoZero.
Students in Bethany Eco-Hawks, the school's middle school green team, cringe as they collect, sort and weigh every item of waste from the cafeteria on May 12, 2022. Photo credit: Margie Kessler
"We are very grateful to receive this award from Hamilton County R3Source, who have been incredibly helpful in supporting our Waste Reduction Initiative," explained Vivian Melody, the school's Sustainability Coordinator. "By connecting student learning with daily habit, we can better equip them to think critically and holistically as global citizens entering a changing world."