In 2017, the Southwest Green Team was awarded a Hennepin County Recycling grant to reintroduce organics recycling to Southwest. Combined with MPS initiatives to make plates and utensils reusable in schools,every Southwest student and faculty member has an incredible opportunity to reduce the amount of waste they produce. Students who buy school lunch are guaranteed one waste-free meal (nothing has to go in the trash!), and, on a broader scale, Southwest can reduce its waste by upwards of 50%.
The grant provides 20 organics bins to go in the lunchroom and bathrooms,sorting signage, 4 condiment dispensers, 4 sorting stations, and a year supply of compostable bags. It is vital that students are mindful when sorting because the viability of this project is dependent on the MPS district taking on the cost of compostable bags in following years. Green Team members have ensured the success of this project by speaking in advisory classrooms, and creating a plan to aid lunchtime sorting the week the project is implemented.
Green Team is currently working on implementing the grant and Southwest should have complete sorting stations in the lunchroom coming very soon!!
Contact Sage Curry-Wynne or Isabelle Keller to get involved with grant ideas or grant writing: [email protected]