Earth Club and AP Environmental Science are taking steps to reduce WHS’ environmental footprint. These students have started a composting initiative to cut down on the waste from WHS lunches that ends up in landfills.
The group, led by senior Eva Phillippi, reached out to Leavenworth-based composting service Winton MFG, who sponsored collection bins for the compostable waste that will be picked up weekly and transported to the Leavenworth facility. Together, they partnered with Wenatchee Rotary and Sustainable NCW to do an audit of the school’s waste after lunch to assess need.
“The team sorted through 204 gallons of waste of which 70% by weight was food waste, compostable food trays and napkins,” Winton MFG said in a Facebook post, going on to describe how they would support the students’ efforts throughout the year with “equipment for additional audits including collapsable pools for sorting, scales for weighing, buckets, [and] compostable bags.”
Earth Club hopes to expand their waste reduction efforts by offering recycling for aluminum cans and plastic bottles in 2025. Phillippi has begun talks with Waste Management about the possibility, but for now, Earth Club’s attention is on making sure their composting initiative is a success. Currently, WHS only recycles paper.
These efforts rely on volunteers to make sure only compostable waste is being discarded in the bins provided by Winton MFG. Students who are interested in being compost monitors can learn more about how to get involved at Earth Club’s Instagram page and website.
Keep an eye out for Earth Club’s other composting projects in 2024, including pumpkin and Christmas tree disposal.