Melrose High School Students Launch Cafeteria Compost Program

MELROSE, MA – The Melrose High School Environmental Club is scheduled to launch the high school’s first ever cafeteria compost program on April 24, to coincide with the city’s observation of Earth Week.

Melrose High sophomores and environmental club members Maizie Frakt and Kensington Ludlum first began the program as a pilot in 2022 in an effort to reduce food waste at the high school, to reduce local methane emissions, and contribute to the production of nutrient-rich soil.

“Maizie and Kensington began working on the Compost Program last school year but have been researching the environmental benefits of composting since their eighth-grade civic project,” MHS teacher and Environmental Club faculty liaison Suzanne Troy said in a news release. “The pilot program was a way for the students to troubleshoot any issues and further their research before introducing the program to the student body.”

The pilot program involves collecting food scraps and waste from the high school cafeteria’s kitchen and food prep areas in compost bins that are picked up weekly by Black Earth Compost, an organization that services households, businesses, municipalities, and schools to assist in reducing food waste and returning nutrients to the soil.

On Monday, April 24, the program will be fully implemented in the high school cafeteria with the addition of compost bins in the student section of the cafeteria two days a week and eventually every day by the next school year.

The program is funded through the Melrose Department of Public Works via a grant from the Recycling Dividends Program (RDP) funds through MassDEP to support and encourage recycling participation in municipalities.