The N-Dub Environment Club is trying to minimize the amount of waste that students are tossing into the garbage.
The high school's environment club recently launched a food waste recycling program.
"Generally, it's been quite a good reception," said Isabel Sadowski, a Grade 12 student at New Westminster Secondary School. "Most people are starting to get the hang of it."
Because food scrap recycling hasn't yet gone citywide, club members are stationing themselves by the food scrap bins at lunch hour to ensure students know the appropriate place to dispose of their lunches. In addition to food scraps, students can also recycle beverage containers and plastic products in other bins.
"There's not a lot you should put in the garbage can anymore," Sadowski said.
The school's environment club has worked with the City of New Westminster and janitorial staff to implement the program in the cafeteria.
Jennifer Lukianchuk, the city's environmental coordinator, is proud of the students' efforts to launch the food waste products.
"We started in the kitchen so the cafeteria workers would know what to do and how it worked," Sadowski said. "Then we put the bins in the cafeteria. If this goes well in the cafeteria, we will probably put some bins around the school. A lot of people eat in the hallways."
The City of New Westminster currently offers food scrap recycling for single-family homes and plans to introduce a similar program for multifamily residences in the coming months. The city provided the bins for the school's food scrap collection program.
"The city picks up the food every week," Sadowski said. "It's already happening in the city. Many houses have these bins - I didn't see why the school shouldn't be doing it as well."
Members of the environment club will continue to staff the new bins for a few more weeks to ensure all students know where food scraps should now be placed.
"They organized themselves and made this work," Lukianchuk said. "It is amazing."
The food scrap recycling program is just one of the initiatives being pursued by New Westminster Secondary School's environment club.
"We have a community garden we are starting," Sadowski added. "We have been planting some root vegetables."
For the past several years, the club has been involved with a beekeeping project.
"We make honey, which is really good," Sadowski said. "We also make beeswax candles. We sell them for the club. Some of the proceeds go toward World Vision as well."
