Welcome to Spotlight on Schools. In this episode, we explore how the cafeteria composting program at St. Joseph's School in Avon Lake has taken root.

The composting program is vital because when items are thrown away, they do not simply disappear—they often sit in landfills for hundreds of years. However, when organic waste is placed into a composter, it is reused to our advantage and for the greater good of the earth.

Through the composting project, students have clear options after lunch. Non-compostable items go into the standard garbage can, while compostable materials—ranging from food scraps to wooden popsicle sticks—are placed in a green compost bin hanging alongside it.

The collected compost is transferred to a large dumpster located outside the parish center. Every Tuesday, Rust Belt Riders collects the dumpster and transports the contents to their facility in Cleveland, where the waste is processed into compost and soil.

This year, the school is purchasing the soil to use directly in its container gardens and large raised beds. This allows students to experience the complete cycle firsthand, seeing how unused materials are transformed into nutrient-rich soil to grow new food.

It is rewarding to know that discarded items are repurposed to produce food for the community. Returning a year later to see compost transformed into rich soil offers a meaningful connection to sustainable living.

Ultimately, the most significant aspect of the composting program is environmental stewardship. Small daily actions contribute to meaningful change. Caring for the earth aligns with our responsibility to keep creation clean, organized, and sustained.