Reduce Waste Programs in Local Schools to Address Food Waste and Environment

Currently over 40% of all food in the United States ends up in a landfill where it will sit and rot for years and contribute to vast amounts of unnecessary pollution. Food can be turned into a soil conditioner and benefit agriculture, environmental conditions, and overall health. We are public health students at Kent State University piloting reduce waste programs in our community. Ensuring a sustainable way to reduce waste cannot be done without education regarding food waste and insecurity. We will implement this program in partnership with Rubber City Reuse to use best practices in waste management and provide compost for the gardens in Kent. By the end of the school year we would like to reduce the waste coming out of Walls Elementary School by 10% while educating the students and public on environmental and nutrition best practices