Allied Waste Services Launches Composting Program at Local Schools

On Earth Day, Allied Waste Services began providing food waste collection services to Daly City's Bayshore School District to address the issue of food waste from school lunch programs.

Allied provides waste collection services in Half Moon Bay, Daly City, Colma, and Broadmoor in San Mateo County as well as many other cities in the Bay Area.

The effort in Daly City, timed to coincide with Monday's celebration of Earth Day, began with an all-school assembly at Bayshore Elementary where Allied recycling experts will present on how students can properly dispose of their lunch items using recycling, garbage and food waste carts.

During the lunch hour, a group of students will act as Green Team Monitors to help walk their fellow students through the new disposal procedures. Allied employees will be at the school all week during the lunch hour to make sure monitors, students, teachers, and parent volunteers are properly participating in the program.

Allied has provided waste-sorting carts and bins at Bayshore Elementary along with informational posters that will help students and teachers properly dispose of food waste and other material.

"We've recognized for years that we can do a better job as a school and as a district in recycling our food waste and reducing our garbage costs," said Maya Rattiner Baker, a third grade teacher at Bayshore Elementary who oversees the school's garden and on-site composting. "We thank Allied for helping us get this important program off the ground. This is a great way to teach our students recycling and proper food waste disposal habits that will help them do their part for the environment for years to come."

Food waste collected at Bayshore Elementary will be processed into nutrient
rich, certified organic compost by Allied at the company's Newby Island Resource Recovery Park in Milpitas. Annually, Allied processes and generates
152,410 tons of compost derived from food waste collected in the Bay Area.
The food composting at Bayshore Elementary is projected to save the school
approximately $2100 a year, or 26% in garbage collection costs.

"We're pleased to help students and teachers at Daly City schools make the right choices about recycling and diverting their food waste away from landfills," said Evan Boyd, Division Manager of Allied Waste Services. "Schools can play a pivotal role in establishing recycling and proper disposal routines that will last a lifetime. We look forward to expanding this program to other schools within the district and the community in the months ahead."

Allied is scheduled to expand the program by the start of the new school year in September to Robertson Intermediate School, which is also in the Bayshore School District, as well as 12 other schools in Daly City's Jefferson Elementary School District.

For more information, visit www.alliedwastedalycity.com.

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