January 17, 2006	Volume 5, Number 2

Web site helps schools reduce lunchtime waste

The New York State Department of Conservation estimates that a child taking a disposable lunch to school will leave behind approximately 67 pounds of lunch waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school, or 1.2 billion pounds of lunchtime trash per school year for the estimated 64,000 U.S. public elementary schools alone.

Schools across the country have started to reduce lunchtime waste by implementing waste-free lunch programs. Parents, teachers, administrators, students, and custodial staff will find a wealth of information on waste-free lunch programs, including step-by-step instructions, facts and figures, classroom activities, success stories, sample parent letters, lunchroom posters, and links to other waste-free lunch sites at http://www.wastefreelunches.org.

Last updated on 1/17/2006