A way to recycle garden and kitchen waste while producing soil amendments, composting is a fundamental garden and science activity. At St. Philip’s both traditional bin composting and vermicomposting (a method of composting using worms to compost) are practiced.

Students take daily trips to the dining hall to pick up scraps for both our rooftop compost and the classroom vermicomposting bins. Both types of composting allow for students to understand the concepts and benefits of composting in a “hands-on” way as they add composting materials from garden waste to lunch plate scraps and kitchen leftovers. Once the cycle is complete, this enriched soil is put is put back onto their rooftop garden beds giving nourishment back to the soil.

Did you know? Food and paper decompose by themselves in nature. They are, however, the two largest components in landfills, accounting for nearly 50% of all municipal solid waste. There is more food and paper in landfills than diapers, Styrofoam, and tires — combined. According to the US EPA, food waste is the #1 least recycled material. Here at St. Philip’s we make sure nothing is wasted and everything is recycled.