PNH Lexus Eco Challenge Team Improves Composting

According to the National Resource Defense Council, about 40% of food in America remains uneaten, and is instead thrown away, eventually ending up in a landfill. However, Parkway North’s Lexus Eco Challenge Team is trying to reduce that number by increasing the amount of food composted at North.

“Composting is important because the nutrients sealed up in food are able to be transferred to the soil through composting,” said senior Jacqueline Sotraidis, member of The Lexus Eco Challenge Team.

Composting refers to turning organic materials, such as yard trimmings and food waste, into a resource used to grow plants. It not only reduces the amount of waste in landfills, but also reduces the need for fertilizers and increases a yield in agricultural production.

“[Parkway North] sends the food waste to St. Louis Composting, which reduces waste thrown in the trash and ultimately results in less landfill waste.  It is a way of turning organic material into new resources, “ said science teacher Russell Barton.

Students at North High are encouraged to discard leftover food, along with compostable food trays, in the yellow compost bins located throughout the commons.  This action helps reduce the amount of waste that the school produces and ultimately the amount of waste in landfills as well.

“[To promote composting], we have made posters and go through the compost to make sure everything in there is compostable,” said Sotraidis

The Lexus Eco Challenge Team at North has been working with the compost initiative as part of their project.  Along with promoting composting, members also make sure that people know what can and cannot be composted, and even go through the bins to ensure everything in them is compostable.

 “North has a history of being green, recycling, and spear heading the solar initiative,” said Barton.

Earlier this school year, Parkway North, along with other schools in the district, began using compostable lunch trays that could be turned into soil, rather than Styrofoam ones that must be thrown away. This, along with the introduction of the compost bins, was just another step in North’s mission to become a greener-school.

Although then composting initiative at North is effective, there are still steps that need to be taken to spread the initiative throughout the district.

“We’re meeting with the superintendent,” said Sotraidis “We hope to get this [composting] to the rest of the district.”

Written by Gianna Sparks — Features Editor