FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2024
CONTACT
Eva Touhey Portsmouth School Department
WasteNaut Consulting, LLC 29 Middle Road
info@wastenautri.com Portsmouth, RI 02871
401-864-8991 401-683-1039
PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL DISTRICT LAUNCHES K-12 LUNCHROOM COMPOSTING PROGRAM
Portsmouth, RI – Portsmouth Schools is the first school district in Rhode Island to implement a standard lunchroom composting program, both for the students and Chartwells, their food service provider. The composting initiative began in the 2023-24 school year, successfully integrating the program into all third and fourth grade lunch periods, and separating food scraps in all four of the Portsmouth school prep kitchens. Program implementation will continue into the 2024-25 school year, working with Black Earth Compost as the commercial composting hauler.
The school district’s long-term commitment to the lunchroom composting program stems from the statewide ‘School Recycling and Refuse Disposal’ legislation that mandates schools across the state compost any food scraps. In Rhode Island, the state's only central landfill is scheduled to close by 2040, where 100,000 tons of compostable food waste ends up each year from residents, schools and commercial businesses.
Portsmouth School District is partnering with WasteNaut Consulting, LLC, led by Eva Touhey, former program director at Clean Ocean Access and a Portsmouth High School graduate, to implement the district-wide lunchroom composting program.
"I am very excited our district is partnering with Eva Touhey and WasteNaut Consulting, for our work on sustainability,” said Dr. Elizabeth Viveiros, Deputy Superintendent. “This initiative not only aligns with statewide legislation but also embodies our commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible waste management. By partnering with Black Earth Compost we are integrating composting into our students' daily routines and instilling values of sustainability. Together, we are cultivating a greener, healthier future for Portsmouth."
Portsmouth Schools piloted composting programs across the district beginning in 2020, working with Clean Ocean Access. Those pilot programs took place in both lunchrooms and classrooms. Piloting the composting initiative at each school was important for testing the feasibility and impact of the program and gaining buy-in from the students, faculty and administrators.
“I am very excited to be able to continue my work with the Portsmouth School District,” said Eva Touhey of WasteNaut Consulting. “Our goal is to create a uniform composting program, so that as students progress through the school system, they are met with the same infrastructure and procedures. Consistency and repetition is essential for instilling any environmental behavior changes.”
A goal of this district-wide composting program is that it will inspire other school districts across the state to create similar programs, expanding their environmental impact and increasing community awareness of the benefits of composting food scraps. Results of the program will also be shared with the Portsmouth Town Council, so officials can determine how else the town can support composting efforts for their residents.
For more information about this program, please contact info@wastenautri.com.