Vermonters welcomed a new Food Scraps Ban on July 1st of this year requiring that all peels, apple cores and plate scraps be composted instead of thrown into the trash. 

Led by STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) teacher Becca Osborne, the Riverside Middle School Farm to School team has been planning their compost system since before the pandemic. Despite the challenges of this school year, the Riverside community came together to team up and get composting underway.

Students of the Community Engineering Class, taught by Cliff Weyer, worked diligently to construct these insulated tumblers. The two JORA brand tumblers are insulated with thick foam so that even in a cold Vermont winter, they can maintain the temperatures needed to break down food scraps and brown material. 

Throughout the winter, 6th graders in the STEAM class will bring food scraps and wood pellets to compost a few times a week. The two tumblers now live in Greenie’s Garden and will be brewing compost for the spring planting season.