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K-12 students have every right to a safe and healthy learning environment. Every school year, K-12 school cafeterias across the United States serve over 5 billion lunch meals, often on single-use food serviceware. This generates an immense amount of waste and it is not only bad for the environment, but it also can harm young children’s health by exposing them to toxic chemicals like PFAS and styrene.

That’s why CEH is proud to release a new version of our popular Ditching Disposable toolkit!

 This toolkit is designed to help K-12 schools make the transition from single-use to healthier, more sustainable alternatives. Creating healthy and sustainable school cafeterias requires a closer look at more than just the food that is being served. We should also consider food packaging and what it is served on, in addition to what behaviors are being taught and normalized.

 Above all, we suggest that schools consider reusables first. Reusables eliminate many of the concerns associated with single-use, such as exposure to toxic chemicals (including PFAS and styrene), increased waste production, and some recyclability or compostability issues. While reusables may not be an immediate option for all schools, it is important to prioritize sustainability and health, and look for ways to eliminate single-use products wherever possible.

 Our newly updated toolkit still has best practices for K-12 schools looking to transition to non-toxic reuse, and also has several new resources, including:

• The latest research about the toxic chemicals found in foodware 
• A new focus on “Where to begin”
• A deep dive into school nutrition purchasing and reuse collection
• Case studies and success stories from 3 years of flipping schools from single-use to non-toxic reusables
• Information on the GreenScreen Certified standards for single-use and reusable food serviceware.
• Lesson plans to engage students
• Calculators to assess waste diverted from landfill and costs of transition

• Tips on applying for grants to help with costs

If you’re wondering how you can get involved, here are a few ways you can TAKE ACTION!

 

Parents:

• Join the PTA at your child’s school, especially if there is either a cafeteria and/or sustainability committee
• Bring concerns of toxic chemicals in single-use food serviceware to your school or administration’s nutritionist

 

Teachers

• Teach a lesson about waste or single-use plastics

 

Students:

• Join or start a sustainability club
• Work with teachers and your principal to tackle the single-waste problem at your school.

• Perform a waste audit and bring the data to your principal 

 Get Involved

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In partnership with Clean Production Action, we also developed a new certification program that eliminates toxic chemicals and waste created by single-use foodware materials. The GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Reusable Food Packaging, Food Service Ware, & Cookware fulfills the growing consumer demand for products with preferred chemistry and less waste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just switching away from plastic over to paper-based food packaging isn’t going to be the long-term solution that we need. It is time for us to seriously look at shifting to reusables wherever possible. From the schools your children attend to the restaurants you get takeout from, we urge you to support policies and business practices that advance the transition from single-use materials to reusables–for the sake of our health, and our planet.