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Ambrose student "Eco team" asks school committee to expand food rescue, composting and reduce single‑use plastics
Summary
An Ambrose Elementary student group seeking to make their school more sustainable described a spring food‑rescue pilot, a playground-cleanup initiative, composting challenges and a request that the district and its food provider, Whitsons, add food‑rescue to the cafeteria contract.
Members of the Ambrose Elementary Eco team presented to the Winchester School Committee on June 12 about student sustainability projects and requested support from the district and its food-service contractor.
Students told the committee they had organized a food-rescue effort beginning in April to keep untouched cafeteria food — apples, milk cartons and packaged vegetables were cited as examples — from the trash and to donate eligible items to community food programs. "We started food rescuing in April. We noticed it is challenging without having the program automated within the school," a student representative said, and the team asked the committee to work with Whitsons and cafeteria staff to add food rescue to the cafeteria contract as Lexington and other neighboring districts have done.
The students also reported playground cleanups and requested more trash and recycling bins, stronger composting pickups, and changes to cafeteria packaging to reduce single-use plastic and bottled water sales. The Eco team said compostable trays currently in use are not reaching municipal compost systems because of inadequate bin numbers and contamination of compost streams.
Why this matters: Students and parents urged operational changes that would reduce waste and divert edible food from the landfill while also seeking district support for systems and contract changes necessary to sustain those practices. The sustainability director and food-service liaison were present and acknowledged the students’ request, taking notes for follow-up.
Next steps: Students asked the committee and district staff to reopen discussions with Whitsons about food-rescue and compost collections, to evaluate bin placement and pickup frequency at Ambrose, and to consider reducing single-use bottled beverage sales at school. Committee members thanked the students and asked staff to follow up on operational feasibility and contract changes.
Quotes: “There is a significant amount of food waste in the cafeteria. Untouched food like carrots, celery and milk are going straight to the trash,” the students said. “If you can pick up this conversation with Whitsons, it would have a big impact on our school grounds,” the Eco team asked.
