Questions & answers
Your questions: Buckets, chickens and worms: Schools reduce cafeteria food waste through compost, shared tables
Compiled Nov 6
How reliable is the $1.7 billion national cost estimate given it came from a small sample of schools?
Public schools serve more than 30 million lunches each day, mostly through the USDA's National School Lunch Program.
What specific federal rules limit schools' flexibility in reducing food waste?
The World Wildlife Fund's Food Waste Warriors program has worked with more than 1,000 schools and says some have cut waste by as much as 70%.
How are schools funding composting programs despite tight budgets?
Baltimore City Public Schools, serving more than 76,000 students, has share tables, some composting, and a 33-acre learning farm.
Will these waste-reduction models spread to more schools nationwide?
The reporting doesn’t answer this yet.