The following documents outline suggested activities to prevent or reduce food waste in K-12 school food service operations. Please note that these materials are provided for your information only. Most of these activities were developed as part of the original Green Lunchroom Challenge voluntary pledge program funded by US EPA Region 5. That program is no longer funded and you may not submit activity documentation to earn points and recognition. Activity documents archived from that program include a cover sheet indicating that information included regarding available points and submission instructions should be ignored. If, however, your school or district implements any of the activities listed below and would list to share its experiences and success stories with peers, you may email Joy Scrogum. Your story may be shared informally as a blog post on this page, on the main ISTC web site, or on social media as a means to foster networking and inspiration among peer institutions working on food waste issues.
Be sure to check the “Additional Resources” section of this web site for other information relative to the K-12 sector or food waste prevention and reduction in general.
To learn more about ISTC zero waste services, see https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/programs/zero-waste/.
Establish Your Baseline
Note that the link to the Challenge Baseline Form within the following documents, which pointed to the original project web site, is broken. Please click here to access the Green Lunchroom Challenge Baseline Form.
Participate in US EPA Food Recovery Challenge
- Sign up for the US EPA Food Recovery Challenge and submit baseline data
- Set and submit your goal to EPA within 90 days of registering for the Food Recovery Challenge
Food Sourcing
- Establish an on-site garden to provide fresh seasonal produce on demand
- Expand an existing on-site garden to provide fresh seasonal produce on demand
- Have students help maintain a school garden as part of a class or club
Menu Planning and Food Preparation
- Create a menu that allows multiple uses of key ingredients throughout a week
- Provide fewer menu options to avoid over-preparation and/or high volumes of leftovers
- Provide training to kitchen staff on proper food trimming and other preparation methods
- Solicit feedback from students and/or observe selection of menu options over time to identify items for elimination or adjustment
Food Presentation
- Alter placement of food choices to encourage selection of most nutritious food for the day
- Cut fruit and vegetables up and divide into discrete servings
- Employ the principles of “offer versus serve”
- Use creative names to encourage interest trying new foods, choosing vegetables, etc.
- Give students more time to eat
- Have recess before lunch
Diverting Food for Human Consumption
- Establish a “sharing table” or similar system in the lunchroom where students can deposit uneaten/unwanted food for others to take if they wish
- Establish a policy to donate unused edible food to a local food bank, shelter, or charity
- Store unused foods for re-presentation or repurposing
- Track the amount of food donated to a local food bank, shelter, or charity
Diverting Food for Animal Consumption
Diverting Food Waste to Fuel/Energy
Composting
- Employ a commercial composting service to regularly pick up food waste/scraps
- Establish an on-site compost pile
- Establish an on-site vermicompost bin
Zero Waste Lunchrooms
- Do a baseline lunchroom waste characterization (pre waste-free lunch day or policy implementation)
- Conduct a follow-up lunchroom waste characterization (at end of waste-free lunch day or after policy implementation)
- Distribute the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center guide, “Waste-Free Lunches”
- Establish a zero-waste lunchroom policy
- Have a “zero waste” or “waste-free” lunch day
- Implement a waste prevention and tracking system for food service operations
- Replace black garbage bags with clear bags
- Replace single use plates with reusable plates
Raise Awareness and Share Successes
Note: The “Case Study Template” referenced in several of the suggested activities below is currently available online here. The “Lesson Plan Template Form” is available here. (You must download the lesson plan template and open with Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software to be able to fill in the fields.)
- Complete a case study on food waste prevention or reduction activities at your school
- Participate in a Green Lunchroom Challenge event
- Screen a documentary(ies) on food waste issues in a class or community event at your school
- Submit a report on your sharing of updates on food waste prevention and reduction efforts in your school blog, school web site, or newsletter
- Submit a report on your use of social media to share your progress/successes
- Submit an analysis of cost savings attributed to Challenge activities implemented at your school
- Submit an original lesson plan on composting
- Submit an original lesson plan on diverting food for animal consumption
- Submit an original lesson plan on diverting food for human consumption
- Submit an original lesson plan on diverting food waste to fuel/energy
- Submit an original lesson plan on food presentation and how it relates to food waste
- Submit an original lesson plan on food sourcing issues and how they relate to food waste
- Submit an original lesson plan on general food waste issues
- Submit an original lesson plan on menu planning and food preparation and how it relates to food waste
- Submit an original lesson plan on zero waste lunchrooms