Willis Lane Compost Program

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To begin our composting program, we used the Cornell Waste Management Institute’s design for a Wood and Wire 3-Bin Turning Unit, found at www.cwmi.css.cornell.edu. The supplies were purchased through school and PTA funding over the summer and we coordinated with local Boy Scout Troop 170 who came out one Saturday to construct the bins. We had enough supplies to build a 4-bin unit and the scout leaders were able to use the Cornell measurements to construct our unit with the additional bin. The bins were set up in the WOLF garden (Willis Outdoor Learning Facility) so that as the compost is finished, it can be used to amend the heavy clay soil in the garden.

Parent volunteers trained each grade level on best composting practices and used simple YES Compost signs (with photos of fresh fruits and vegetables) and NO Compost signs (with photos of meat, cheese, salad with dressing, etc.) to help students understand what does and does not go into the compost buckets. Parent volunteers then spend two weeks assisting with lunch periods to ensure a smooth transition.

How it works…

At the end of each class’s lunch period:

1. One or two students grab small yellow buckets with YES Compost signs to collect the food scraps from their class.

2. Once collected, students empty the scraps into 5 gallon buckets and then put a cover on the bucket to discourage fruit flies. The larger buckets are set up on our composting wagon to be easily transported to the bins.

3. Yellow buckets are then returned to a side table for the next class to use.

Once all the lunches are finished, a parent volunteer:

1. Weighs the 5-gallon buckets using a hand-held luggage scale and records the total in a notebook. All accessories are kept in a canvas bag attached to the compost wagon.

2. The food scraps are wheeled out to the garden and placed in a bin using our Dig, Dump & Cover method. Dig a hole in the center of the compost pile, Dump the fresh scraps in, and Cover with at least 12” of leaves.

3. The wagon is brought back to the cafeteria where all the buckets are thoroughly washed and placed out for the following day.

Additionally, the kitchen staff used a 5-gallon bucket to collect fresh food scraps as they prepped meals in the morning. They also contributed fresh scraps that were left over at the end of the day.

Occasional Compost Parties are held on Saturday mornings to turn the bins and amend them, as necessary. Leaves were collected in the fall and stored for use throughout the year.

In the first year of the program, our school diverted 4,768 lbs of food scraps from going into the landfill!