ELHS Launches Recycling and Composting Program

By Emaleigh Dunbar ’24

Students struggle with remembering how to sort their trays, but Mrs. Lori Pahl, a Food Service Director for East Longmeadow Schools, has to help students organize and sort through students’ lunch trays. 

“I keep forgetting to put the milk carton in the red bin,” Michaela Coltey said. “I always think to put it in the cardboard bin instead of the milk cartoon bin.”

The new school trash and recycling program started at ELHS on Monday, April 10th, 2023. There are now five, consecutive bins on each side. This includes trash, compost, milk cartons, liquids, and container recycling.

Each student is told to organize their tray after finishing eating and line up to put their leftovers into the bins. The first week many students were confused, having trouble remembering to organize their trash, However Mrs. Pahl was always there to help. 

The new trash program started off at Meadow Brook Elementary School and progressed to other schools. It came into the high school last month.

Mrs. Elizabeth Bone, Recycling Coordinator for the Town of East Longmeadow, creates new programs for recycling for the schools and public buildings in town. She has helped coordinate all of the school’s recycling programs for the past few years.

“Here we are about 85-90% doing a great job,” Mrs. Bone said. “The thing is, the other schools have a lot of different products for their lunch.”

“There are more options and more selections given at the high school level,” Mrs. Pahl said. “There are more convenience items, which are harder to break down and recycle.”

There is still trouble with organizing before going up to the bins. Students have made an effort to learn which bin is for what. 

Some teachers recognize that the new waste program takes more time and announce to the students 5 minutes before lunch is over that they should start organizing their trays and make their way to the bins.

“It is definitely more difficult to leave the cafeteria because many people are lining up at the recycling bins blocking the way towards the exit,” Michaela Coltey said.

There is a food waste ban of the town’s water supply, and the town is only going to lower that percentage of food waste allowed as time goes on. 

Massachusetts has little space left in the landfills with all of them closing by 2030 when Massachusetts has to ship their garbage into other states.

“Food waste makes up 40% of the waste stream. It would be better for our schools to not be paying as much money as they would without the program,” Mrs. Bone said. “And it’s good for the environment.”