BURRILLVILLE – Students at William L. Callahan Elementary School in Harrisville on Thursday received awards from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for their participation in the RI School Recycling Project. Their work as “Food Waste Rangers” during their lunch period as part of the school’s Get Food Smart Program, launched in December of 2024, helped to divert 6.2 tons of food waste from the Johnston Landfill and into compost instead, said Principal Rudolph Moseley.
“Over 100 student participated and because of their hard work not only did we keep 6.2 tons of food out of the landfill, but 2,209 pounds of food that would have been wasted has been recovered for hungry families,” Moseley said.
The school has reduced the amount of food they waste by 26 percent with a goal of a 50 percent reduction by 2030, he said.
“From the moment I stepped into this school, I knew what a special school Callahan is,” said Kendra Gay of RI School Recycling. “I was very impressed with the recycling that was already being done.”
Gay detailed the training she did with the students, showing them how to sort food properly and check for contamination.
“We are so proud of you for pitching in and doing your part,” Supt. Michael Sollitto told the large group of students assembled in the gymnasium.
Sen. Jessica de la Cruz also addressed the students, and tried to give them a visual representation of how much food 6.2 tons is.
“I was thinking about keeping 6.2 tons of food out of the landfill, what would that look like? So I asked google for a visual example, and it said that’s the size of a big African elephant,” de la Cruz said.
“Keep up the good work, and maybe start a compost garden at home,” she added.
Sollitto and School Committee Chairperson Terri Lacey handed out individual certificates to the enthusiastic crowd of Food Waste Rangers, and then the school’s food service workers and lunch monitors were recognized for their work on the project.
RIDEM Sustainability Manager David McLaughlin presented a certificate of achievement for the school to Moseley.
“I want to say thank you because the work you’ve done is protecting our environment,” McLaughlin said. “You should feel really good about the fact that you’re leading by example. Share the success story. Tell people it’s been easy, it’s been fun, and it’s been effective.”
We have been composting for 35 years…we only put our trash out every 6-8 weeks, it’s 2 of us now…was 4. I see people with 2 in the house and have an overflowing trash every week…and I ask myself…what are they eating?