FARMINGTON – Mallett School students got a first-hand look at the fruits of their labor this week, when representatives of the Sandy River Recycling Association brought in a bin of rich compost.
“This is just wonderful stuff,” SRRA’s Ron Slater told the assembly. “We shouldn’t be throwing this into landfills.”
Slater and SRRA president, Jo Josephson presented the students of Mallett School with a plaque commemorating the school earning the “Maine Composters of the Year” award. The program is the first of its kind in Mt. Blue Regional School District. Josephson, who has also served on the school board, thanked the students.
“You are pioneers,” Josephson said. “Compost pioneers.”
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Initiated by the Mallett School Recycling Committee, which includes UMF faculty and students, Mallett School administrators and educators and area professionals, the project has helped to develop worm bin composting in Alex Ernst’s third-grade classroom and to prepare Mallett school students to sort their lunch refuse for composting by the Sandy River facility.
Principal Tracy Williams thanked the students, who gave up recess periods to help sort and transport the lunchroom leavings, as well as University of Maine at Farmington students who provided assistance getting the project off the ground.
Robert Ripley and April Noel, UMF students in Freed’s Education Methods class, helped Mallett School third graders build worm bins and taught a class lesson on worm bin composting. Caroline Gallant, Shawn Menard and Sarah Blenes, UMF student members of the Sustainable Campus Coalition, helped instruct kindergarten and first-grade students in how to sort their lunchtime cafeteria waste in preparation for composting.
Students watched a short film, made by Ernst, highlighting the creation of program and a field trip his class took to the SRRA recycling facility.
“Here’s our worm bin,” a student says on the video, the camera panning over a heap of compost.
“Ewwww,” children in the audience gasped.
Slater noted that 3.18 tons of waste had been composted through the program.
“Hopefully,” Williams told the students, “you’re going to go on to Cascade Brook School and say ‘what are we doing with the food waste?’ And that’ll be all it takes.”
