School sees little go to waste with composting, recycling

PITTSBURGH — Food served at the Mt. Lebanon High School cafeteria is fresher, and more varied, than traditional fare of the past. Food service director Tazeen Choudhury says the food is healthier, and kids are just eating it up.

“Kids have really embraced a lot of the changes,” she adds. “We’re offering healthier foods, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Even the pizza has whole grain crust. Thursday, at the “Chef’s Cuisine” counter, kids have burritos with their choice of vegetables, their choice of rice, and their choice of meat.

Very little goes to waste. Dietetic student and mother of three Corey Flynn leads the first public schoolrecycling and composting program in the area.

“They scrape their plates of food waste, and then they empty out all their liquids,” she says. “They’re recycling more than they ever recycled before. They no longer use Styrofoam.”

Members of the Environmental Club produced a video encouraging classmates to “go green.”

“This is the loading dock where the compost is brought up and put in this bin,” Rich Salvante says, stepping outside. “And I take it to where we’re reprocessing it.”