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New Scotland Elementary students present plan to cut lunch plastics to Albany board
Summary
Fifth-graders from New Scotland Elementary described a student-led project collecting spork wrappers and crocheting them into reusable bags and urged the district to consider composting, reusable packaging and cafeteria line changes to reduce single-use plastic.
Students from New Scotland Elementary School presented a student-led project to the Board of Education asking the district to reduce single-use plastic in school lunches and to consider alternatives such as paper packaging, separate condiment dispensers and a partnership with City Compost.
"Every lunch we collect spork wrappers and every recess we rip, tie, and crochet the otherwise garbage into durable and fashionable bags," said a student who identified herself as part of the group. The students said their sales of the bags fund donations to climate organizations and support outreach to teach other students to crochet and repurpose waste.
Why it matters: Students estimated that a typical hot lunch includes multiple individually wrapped items — fruit in plastic, applesauce containers, plastic-cutlery kits — and said those items scale up rapidly across a whole grade or school. The student presenters proposed practical changes including allowing self-service points (with sneeze guards), separate dispensers for single-use items so students take only what they need, switching some items to paper alternatives and exploring a City Compost partnership.
School leaders described student leadership and instructional goals: New Scotland Principal Leslie Buff and Assistant Principal Tamisha Rose said the project grew from a student leadership conversation after a visit from Board Member Vicky Smith and reflects broader equity and leadership work at the school. "They truly embody our school's mission, which is to create a compassionate community of everyday leaders," Rose said.
Food-services context: The students said they spoke with Miss Perrin, head of the district's food department, and named Aramark as the food-service contractor. They acknowledged that some packaging has operational or allergy-related benefits but urged the district to explore alternatives and operational changes to reduce both plastic and food waste.
Board members responded positively and asked procedural questions about next steps and logistics for school-based pilots, farmer's-market sales by students and summer outreach. The students said their upcoming sale plans were weather-dependent and that they planned additional farmer's-market sales and outreach during the summer.
Ending: The board received the student presentation during the district highlights section of the meeting and thanked the students and school leaders for the initiative; board members said they would follow up with staff on potential pilot ideas and operational implications.
