Putting waste in the trash
Washington Elementary students Luke Uzabel and Jackson Hitchcock participate in the game that challenges their skills in packing a waste-free lunch. (Photo CAMERON RASMUSSON)
SANDPOINT — Washington Elementary teachers are encouraging their students to do more by wasting less with a series of lunchtime challenges this coming week.
Thanks to the research efforts of the sixth grade Earth Club, the entire school is putting more emphasis on producing less trash. To instill waste-conscious habits in the students, the school is organizing a contest that designates a trash can for each grade. During lunchtime, specially-designated monitors ensure that all trash is deposited in the appropriate receptacle. Each grade’s garbage output will be tallied up at the end of the week, and the class that produces the least amount will earn a top secret prize.
The need for waste moderation hit home Thursday at an assembly overseen by teacher Charlene Hitchcock.
“All those extra things you bring to lunch don’t weigh much, but they take up a lot of space and fill up our landfills,” she said. “It’s kind of icky.”
To emphasize the point, Earth Club members Jeremiah Volz, Mason Abeyta, Ben Schwartz, Patrick Rockwell, Sheridan Lunde, Jayden Kellogg, Mike Frei, Kaden Hitchcock, Kayla Neumann, Jackson Barth, Haley Kinnick and Samantha Holland gave a presentation at the assembly. Their studies found that each student at Washington Elementary produced an average of 50 pounds in waste a year, adding up to a combined 1,400 pounds.
The Earth Club is currently studying effective methods to deal with garbage. They hope to build a compost-fed garden once spring rolls around, and they are learning how worms in a vermicom can compost food waste.
“Our goal at the end of the year is to teach the students and their families how to significantly reduce the amount of waste we produce at Washington Elementary,” Earth Club members Patrick Rockwell and Mason Abeyta wrote.
If next week’s waste-limiting project goes well, school administrators are considering implementing a waste-free Wednesday. To keep their kids competitive, parents should limit the number of food items with plastic or disposable wrappers in their lunches.