May 20, 2025
ALL Students Lead the Way in Waste Reduction: Compost Pilot for the Detroit Zoo
Our students are proving that small changes can make a big impact—starting with lunch!
Yesterday, we conducted an exciting waste audit right here at school, with the help of Sara Covatta from Lunch Rescue and Recycle and Make Food Not Waste. The audit was generously funded by the Detroit Zoo, as part of a pilot composting program that we’re proud to be leading thanks to our school's strong commitment to sustainability.
During the audit, every student composted their lunch scraps, and we collected and weighed everything—including food waste, liquids, trash, recyclables, and compostable trays. The data we gathered will help us (and the Zoo!) better understand waste patterns and design smarter composting solutions.
This pilot is part of a larger effort to bring composting into more schools, and we're proud to be setting the standard. Our students not only took part in the audit—they owned it.
To top it all off, students got a special visit from Sweet Beet, Make Food Not Waste’s lovable mascot, who brought hugs, high fives, and a lot of excitement to celebrate their hard work.
We’re excited to keep leading the way in sustainability—and to show how much of a difference a lunch tray can make. See photos below.
May 28, 2025
Waste Audit Results
As part of our ongoing Green Team initiatives, Hayes Elementary began composting in 2025—and the results have been inspiring! To measure our impact, we conducted a waste audit during one day of lunch and discovered just how much we’re helping the planet:
75 pounds of compostable items like trays and leftover food were composted
7 pounds of unopened food was rescued and shared via our Share Cart
45 pounds of liquid (mostly milk) was collected
4 pounds of milk cartons and other recyclables were diverted from landfill
28 pounds of landfill waste (wrappers and Styrofoam) remained
Thanks to our 4th grade Green Ambassadors and our 3rd grade Green Ambassadors-in-training, students learned how to sort waste properly and take pride in protecting the environment. We look forward to expanding our efforts next year by using our own compost to nourish our new pollinator garden!