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Wilton Public Schools Embrace Reusables in Our Cafeterias
If you haven’t heard, things have been changing in three of our school cafeterias.
In 2018, Wilton Go Green partnered with Wilton Public Schools to embark on a journey with the Zero Waste Schools program. This journey empowering students and staff to promote environmental consciousness and reduce waste in school cafeterias.
Our students have been helping to divert tons of recyclable material and food scraps to composting, as well as rescuing food for donation ever since. As we looked at other ways we could continue to reduce our waste throughout the past few years, switching from disposable items to reusables during lunch seemed the most logical next step.
Last summer, Wilton Go Green, with the support of the WPS, launched a Sustainable CT Community Match fundraiser to help Cider Mill School install a dishwasher. These funds were also used to purchase stainless steel reusable trays, and other essential equipment to move away from single-use products in alignment with that dishwasher purchase.
In just three weeks, our Wilton community donated over $7,500! Matched by Sustainable CT, WPS was able to make the necessary purchases to bring a reusable program to students this school year.
Cider Mill students have been using reusable stainless steel trays, forks and spoons since November - eliminating over 50,000 disposable trays and cutlery from going into the trash
Wilton High School students began their reusable utensil program this month. Last year, WHS Junior Danny Babashak worked with State Senator Ceci Maher (D-26) in order to secure funding for his $20,000 project under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The funds were used to purchase and install a dishwasher and purchase reusable utensils.
As a result of these programs, 131,040 single-use plastic utensils (1,114 pounds of plastic) will be eliminated from the waste stream every year, and $5,707 will be saved annually from not repurchasing disposable utensils.
WPS partnered up with Plastic Free Restaurants, a 501(c)3 non-profit. This non-profit’s mission it is to reduce single-use plastics in schools and restaurants. The organization donated reusable utensils for Miller-Driscoll, Cider Mill and Wilton High School, through their subsidy program.
While Cider Mill and the High School were still in the construction phase at the start of this school year, Miller-Driscoll school began using reusable forks and spoons in their cafeteria on the first day thanks to an already existing dishwasher in their kitchen.
Our reusable program would not be possible without the time, energy and support of so many in our community. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank:
- Wilton Public Schools Supervisor of Buildings & Grounds, Jose Figueroa and Assistant Karis Miller
- Assistant Director of Financial Planning and Operations, Laila Rudinas.
- Wilton Go Green for leading the CM fundraising efforts and the work of our Zero Waste Schools Committee.
- The Rotary Club of Wilton for their contributions to purchasing the Cider Mill stainless steel trays.
- Frendt-Masani Collaboration for their financial and in-kind contributions of additional kitchen and dishwasher supplies for Cider Mill.
- Cider Mill PTA for their grant of additional reusable utensils
- Wilton Public Schools staff and administration
- Chartwells Food Service
If you would like to learn more about the Zero Waste Schools program click HERE.
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