1. Get ready HPMS!!! Zero-Waste Lunch Day Tuesday, April 28th

2. HPMS is competing against other Oneida & Herkimer County schools in the 5th annual Zero Waste Lunch Challenge! The school with the least amount of cafeteria trash per student wins a FREE visit from the DJ’s at KISS FM!

3. Lunch Trash at HPMS…  HPMS students create more than 75 pounds of trash every single day in our cafeteria alone!  Last year on Zero Waste Lunch Day, we reduced our trash to less than 1 pound!  HPMS won 1st place in last year’s challenge, and this year we plan to defend our title!!!

4. What is a ZERO WASTE LUNCH?? It’s a lunch that makes ZERO garbage! Our school is joining the ZERO WASTE LUNCH CHALLENGE and it is up to all of YOU to help out!

5. Did you know??? A student who eats a disposable lunch generates an average of 67 pounds of waste per school year! That equals 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-sized school every year! If kids brought a zero waste lunch everyday, that would keep over 9 tons of waste from filling up our landfill! That’s like 9 small cars!

6. A Disposable Lunch

7. A Zero-Waste Lunch

8. If you BRING your lunch: Bring a reusable lunch bag. Pack food in reusable containers or wrap your sandwich in foil – it’s recyclable! Bring your drink in a reusable bottle. Pack fresh fruit & veggies – they can be composted, plus they’re good for you! If you don’t eat all your lunch, save it for a snack…don’t throw food way! Avoid packaged snacks like chips, cookies and candy.

9. If you BUY your lunch: Take only what you will eat; eat everything you take (like the Chinese buffet! ) Get some fresh fruit and veggies – these can be composted, plus they’re good for you! NO packaged snacks will be sold in our cafeteria on April 28th. That means no chips, cookies, brownies, or ice cream. Make some healthier choices today, AND create less trash!!!

10. How will the cafeteria look different on April 28th? The School Recycling Coordinator, Green Team members, and teachers will help students sort their lunch waste into the right bins:  Recycling – milk cartons, plastic bottles, all plastic containers #1-5 & 7, aluminum foil & cans  *NEW* Compost – all green food waste (fruits & veggies, bread, rice, NO meat). This will go into the HPMS composter.  Trash – things that can’t go in any other bin (should be zero!)

11. Please help HPMS win the Zero Waste Lunch Challenge on Tuesday, April 28 th !!!  YOU can help make a difference in our school and our community by making less waste!  Remember, there’s a great prize going to the winning school too!