Seven South Bay schools to cut their lunchtime trash by 70 percent

Oct. 7—Seven South Bay schools have agreed to join a program to cut their lunchtime trash by 70 percent as part of Los Angeles County’s third annual Trash-Free Lunch Challenge.

In all, 24 schools across the county have signed onto to the program.

The challenge, sponsored by the Sanitation Districts of L.A. County and created by the environmental nonprofit Grades of Green, is a contest that rewards schools for reducing lunchtime trash.

The competition teaches kids how to reduce trash by switching to reusable lunch containers, water bottles and cloth napkins. Those who buy lunch will learn to sort waste into recycling and composting.

The Trash-Free Lunch Challenge has diverted as many as 40,000 bags of trash from area landfills and saved schools thousands of dollars over two years.