USD 383 Cafeteria Composting

[Amanda Campanella]

Hello All,

The Manhattan, KS school district (USD 383) has been awarded a grant from the waste management division of KDHE to implement a composting program in the cafeterias of all 9 of our elementary schools during the 2017-2018 school year. Because of budget cuts and personnel constraints at KSU (where we plan to compost our food waste), our original transportation plan is unavailable.

We are looking for a local individual with a truck who is interested in collecting food waste from all 9 elementary schools in Manhattan and Ogden 2-3 times weekly during the school year. The food waste will need to be transported to the compost site at KSU, and bins will need to be returned to the schools.

Our grant will be able to cover fuel costs and a modest hourly wage that has yet to be determined. Another benefit for the chosen individual will be the ability to collect a percentage of the finished compost.

We are excited to use this project as a catalyst for greater change in the waste management of the community of Manhattan. We hope to follow the Shawnee Mission district's lead and eventually compost and/or recycle the great majority of waste generated in our schools. For more information on their success, check out this inspiring article:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/joco-913/olathe-southwest-joco/article147196519.html

If you're interested in helping with this project, please contact me at campanella.a...@gmail.com for more information, or contact Dr. Lucas Shivers (the Director of Elementary Education for USD 383) at LUCASS@usd383.org

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,

Amanda Campanella