New at CHS, compost has become a must-have for Mr. Finch and students Mason Roehl and Millie Flick. Composting is a simple yet powerful way to reduce waste and nourish the environment, and now our school community is joining in to make a positive impact. At lunch, disposing of what is compostable and recyclable has increased the composting level at CHS.
Mr. Finch, compost director, explains why CHS needs compost and what students are doing to help at CHS.
“We are trying to recapture compostable waste during lunch as [much as] possible and reduce inputs into our landfills.”
Millie Flick, a junior who is currently working on this project, explains how she thinks composting will impact the community by describing how food is not going to be discarded but instead put to a better use.
“Knowing it’s not going to be wasted and it’s going somewhere that it is going to be used again is pretty impactful to our community.”
It wasn’t any random selection for who got chosen to lead this composting project. Mr. Finch knew this project needed experience, and that was exactly what he got.
Finch says, “I selected Mason and Millie because they’ve had Ag 2 before, so this is something they can do now that will enhance their self-curriculum.”
Flick continues,
“Mr. Finch came up to me and Mason and asked if we wanted to start it [composting project] with him. We had talked to the lady who owns a composting thing in Leavenworth, because we heard Cascade and Wenatchee were already involved in composting. We thought, [if] they could do it [composting], obviously, we can do it.”
The future of composting for CHS is not set in stone, but is predicted to be carried on throughout the years. Flick says,
“Eventually, everyone in the lunchroom will do that themselves, so there will be a bucket for compost, recycling, and landfill, so everyone is going to have to know what goes in what. I hope we get less food waste because people will be more conscious [of] what they are throwing away.”
The compost journey is going to get simpler for students as time goes on. Finch states,
“It’s really easy since we now have compostable lunch trays. The only thing they have to do is take out any form of plastic, such as their fork, or like foil or plastic wrap.”
Although the composting journey has just begun, CHS is already being impacted. A future of success is ahead for this project, and it will continue to grow.
Millie Flick • Sep 30, 2025 at 12:05 pm
Great job Hannah!