10 Medford, Massachusetts schools are stirring up the lunch room in an effort to be green. Students in the Medford school district are halting the use of disposable foam lunch trays at each school every Tuesday in December.

The Trayless Tuesdays program was designed to reduce the district’s waste stream and keep more than 10,000 meal trays from clogging up local landfills.The district throws away between 440,000 and 450,000 foam trays a year.

Instead of trays, cafeterias will serve cold lunches in brown paper bags that will biodegrade quickly.

While the district is looking into the affordability of biodegradable lunch trays made from cornstarch or potato concoctions, students will have to do without hot lunches on Tuesdays. But, they can rest easy knowing they are helping their schools go green.

Biodegradable trays are neither cost-effective, nor logistically feasible for the district at this time as the eco-trays cost nearly twice that of the foam trays currently used. Additionally, biodegradable trays are less durable for hot meals and the district fears students will have a difficult time making their way from the lunch line to their seats as hot, cheesy pizza or warm grilled chicken melts away the biodegradable tray.

Through the Trayless Tuesday program, the district anticipates saving $400 for the three days in December schools that the will be open.

While seemingly an insignificant cost savings, a little goes a long way to freeing up funds for other school activities, and in helping students learn a valuable lesson: protect Mother Earth.

Jeanne Irwin, School Lunch Director said, “If we did it [Trayless Tuesdays] every Tuesday, it would be a $1,500 to $1,700 difference…It’s not going to make or break anything money wise. But, environmentally, that would be 88,000 less trays in the landfill for the year. And that’s substantial.”

Through a consistent Trayless Tuesdays program, that number drops to around 20 percent. Substantial indeed.

Schools all over the country are implementing similar programs. A quick Google search for Trayless Tuesdays brings up more than 10 pages of articles and videos covering activities by k-12 and universities all over the country.

At Morrisville State College, students reuse their tray when going back for more food to avoid additional washing waste, and biodegradable to-go containers are being tested throughout the semester. At other schools, students supply and decorate their very own plastic lunch carrier trays encouraging reuse instead of tossing disposable trays into landfills. 
 

With school budgets slashed all over the country, every little bit counts monetarily, and environmentally. The office 9-5 world should take a cue from these schools to reduce waste streams beyond recycling office paper.