waste diversion

By:

Saving the Earth With One Compost Bin at a Time

The Montecito Union School community is committed to waste diversion.  We view waste as a resource.  During the 2010-2011 school year we proudly diverted almost 20 yards of waste from the Santa Barbara County Tajiguas Landfill. . 

We regularly worked to divert event waste and successfully sent at least 80% percent of the waste generated at our events to both a commercial composting facility and the local recycling center. 

These successes helped our school to earn a reputation in our larger community as dedicated waste diverters.  As a result, MUS has earned the support of the County of Santa Barbara for a pilot Food Scraps Composting program at our school. Currently we are successfully composting about 75% of our student lunch waste. Instead of this waste going to the Tajiguas Landfill, our compost is going to a local composting facility, put in windrows, and ultimately developed into a beneficial soil amendment for our community that is then used in parks and schools.   

Our students proudly and thoughtfully participate in this program and are integral to our diversion achievements.  Our efforts next year will be to continue our composting program and expand it to recess snack times and all teacher and staff lunch waste.