The Freeman Environmental Youth Council (FEYC) conducted a waste audit at all three major AAPS high schools earlier this year. The objective of the project was to analyze the amount of waste produced during a lunch period. The Jan. 16 audit’s goal was to identify food categories that were more wasteful and use the results to improve sustainability in the cafeterias.
“We get to collect data on how much waste we produce in just one single lunch period, and we can analyze that data, and hopefully we get to make our lunch system better with it,” said Luke Bunnell, a second-year member of FEYC.
During the audits, members of the youth council’s service committee sorted discarded items into 13 categories, including bins for vegetables, trays, milk, beef and other meats.
Once the data is presented, Bunnell thinks their goals will be more clear. “They’ll be able to understand why we’re collecting [the trash] and what we want to change,” Bunnell said.
The results of the audit revealed large differences between the schools, with Skyline High School generating the most estimated waste at 61.4 pounds, followed by Huron High School at 55.4 pounds and Pioneer High School at 45.6 pounds.
Of Skyline’s total waste, 41.8 pounds were compostable, 14 pounds were landfill waste and 5.6 pounds were recyclable materials. Huron recorded 38 pounds of compostable waste, 14.6 pounds of landfill waste, and 2.8 pounds of recyclables, while Pioneer produced 31.4 pounds of compostable waste, 11.2 pounds of landfill waste and three pounds of recyclables.
“It’s good to measure how much waste we put out there, especially during our lunch,” said Pioneer student Jaden Burman. “From what I see, a lot of people will get the lunch and not always eat all of it, or there’s extra lunches usually that seem to not go anywhere.”
FEYC plans to present its findings during their workshop at the upcoming Washtenaw Climate Teach-In. With local policymakers in attendance, members hope to spark discussions on how legislative action can support waste reduction efforts in schools. By advocating on behalf of the high schoolers in Ann Arbor, the members of FEYC aim to foster a sustainable future for the school district and the broader community. The council invites locals to participate in its hands-on session to explore solutions for a more sustainable future.
