Impressive Recycling and Composting at Cascade Schools

Cascade School District has much to celebrate this school year in terms of waste reduction efforts. While something like single stream recycling seems basic, to make it manifest institution-wide requires tweaking a lot of parts, such as supplies and equipment, staffing, contracting services, and educational training.

A recycling program had been initiated more than once, only to falter due to logistical challenges and COVID. Then, thanks to motivated students in the middle school Sustainability Club, teacher Jodie Tremberth for earning a grant to go toward recycling efforts, and coordination by Teresa Disher, district Facilities Director, a workable process was initiated at IRMS last year.

After more teamwork, audits and recommendations by the nonprofit, Waste Loop, and a grant Waste Loop won to pay for school recycling bins, the program runs district-wide this year. There are mixed recycling bins in all key locations.

As for personnel, Disher explained, “The bulk of the recycling is maintained by Mack McMillan, one of our day custodians. He has helped with labeling and disbursing bins, collection and maintaining a clean recycling area.” Waste Management (WM) hauls the recycling away.

In most classrooms, mixed paper is sorted separately and hauled to Michelsen's in Wenatchee by WM. It ends up as net neutral, cost-wise, because the cost of hiring WM to haul is close to what Michelsen's pays the district for that volume of paper.

“It started with the students,” said Disher. “They chose to recycle throughout the buildings. We just got it to where it is going.”

Disher praised Waste Loop and particularly Amanda Close, the Education and Outreach Coordinator. “Amanda has been amazing! She is so supportive and encouraging. She listens to what our obstacles are, and she helps us come up with solutions.”

Disher was also grateful for the support of Superintendent Tracey Beckendorf-Edou, District Business Manager Dwight Remick and the school board members. “They see the value in recycling and how it aligns with our Strategic Framework: ‘Growing students grows strong communities and a more connected world, and we engage actively in the beauty and diversity of our natural environment to learn how we impact the world around us.’ Their support and commitment to making sure we have the resources to maintain this program is very much appreciated.”

The other exciting development is composting, which is being piloted at Peshastin Dryden Elementary. PD was chosen because there’s the most potential reduction in waste and the lowest likelihood of bear issues.

The students, ranging from transitional kindergarteners, who are under six years old, to second graders, are finding their composting groove after over a month of school lunch periods. Each child, when it’s his/her turn, sorts the different components on their tray into a series of bins.

First, they drop unopened food in a crate. While those items aren’t kept yet, it’s building habits for a future “sharing station.”

Next, it’s the glug, glug sound of milk that little hands pour into a red liquids bin. Then there’s the balancing act of holding the tray in one hand while extracting trash, such as a plastic spoon, with the other, for the garbage. Compostable food items, even cheese and meat, go into the big green trash can. The last step is puzzle piecing the tray on top of other ones and a hi five for the good work.

This astounding, waste-reducing effort is thanks again to collaboration between the school district and Waste Loop and utilizing the newly up-and-running industrial composting at Winton Manufacturing Compost Works.

The Cascade High School Sustainability Club is involved too. They’ve helped with the garbage can audits last year that confirmed a huge percentage of waste could be diverted to composting. And they hope to make it to PD and assist with the lunchtime composting, as their schedules allow.

Close has enjoyed working with staff and students of all ages to see these waste reduction efforts implemented smoothly. She’s given many classroom presentations, teaching younger students with a composting game, and showing them the finished product, beautiful dark compost from Winton.

At PD, with all the food being diverted from the trashcan, it’s apparent that the next largest percentage of waste comes from milk cartons and items like Styrofoam soup bowls. Future steps that might be considered, and which are very exciting to Close, include durable, reusable bowls and real silverware. And perhaps milk can be dispensed into reusable cups.

These ideas might seem hard to realize, but the same could be said for composting, and now it’s a daily habit. When composting gets introduced at the other schools, the kindergarteners, first and second graders can be the ones teaching the older students.