Oceano Elementary
Oceano 5th and 6th grade students have been turning food waste into usable compost for eight years now. Teacher Jim DeCecco digs the disposal hole in a worm bin every morning so he can monitor the bins, which are behind the cafeteria in a spot that he wouldn’t ordinarily walk by. At Oceano, composting is a student-led program. Select students are stationed at containers and help other students to separate food waste as they go through a line. They collect and bury food waste from student lunches and salad bar leftovers every day. Jim feels like it is important to have a committed principal for the program to succeed. Not only do they keep a lot of food waste out of the landfill, they also use the finished compost in the school garden.