New recyclable brown paper trays balance lunch tray prices

SILVER SPRING, Md.—Throughout the cafeteria at Francis Scott Key Middle School in Silver Spring on Friday lay the first signs of a change coming to Montgomery County Public Schools — brown paper trays.

The trays made their debut at the middle school on April 28 and school system officials say the goal is to switch out the plastic foam trays now found in school cafeterias around the county for the thin, cardboard-like trays that it can recycle by the beginning of the next academic year.

Marla Caplon, director of food and nutrition services for the school system, said the school system has been looking for years to make a switch to recyclable trays.