Admin
Every day, a lot of perfectly edible food ends up in the trash. But should it really be this way?
Walk through any school canteen, including ours, at the end of lunch, and you’ll see it: half-eaten sandwiches, untouched fruit, and leftover plates scraped into the bin. It might seem normal, but the numbers tell a surprising Fact. According to Bussiness Waste (2025), An average student can waste about 23% of the food served for lunch.Vegetables are the most thrown away items in school lunch boxes (Business Waste, 2025). Now let’s multiply that across each school day. Can you imagine the huge amount of waste!
Why Should We Care?
Food waste isn’t just about throwing away a bruised apple or an extra sandwich your mom added to the lunch box. Let’s think deeper about what happens next: When food goes in the garbage, it produces methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas that makes climate change worse (The Felix Project, 2025). Every wasted meal also means wasted water, energy, and resources used to grow, package, and transport that food (South Dakota State University Extension, 2025). And don’t forget, in a world where millions are hungry, the waste feels even more urgent.
But here’s the good news! we can make a difference. By cutting down on food waste, our school can help create a more sustainable, eco-friendly community.
Small Changes, Big Impact: Our canteen can become a model for sustainability with a few smart changes. Ready to take part?
Portion Control Matters
Choose how much food you really want. This will help reduce leftovers and waste. Portion control and meal selection are among the best methods to cut down on food waste (High Speed Training, 2025).
Allocate Recess Time to Eat and Socialize
Rushed meals lead to wasted food. Make sure you take enough time to sit down and enjoy your meal. Spending 25 minutes reduces rushed eating and makes it more likely that your food is eaten instead of being thrown away (Zero Waste Chef, 2025).
Compost the Scraps
Do you know that fruit peels, vegetable trimmings, and other organic leftovers shouldn’t go in the trash? Yes! We can set up a school compost system for fruit peels and vegetable scraps to turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil for our school garden. Collecting organic waste for composting keeps it out of landfills and helps close the food cycle (Great Green Systems, 2025).
Share the Extras
The setup in our canteen allows students to share untouched food with others. It’s also encouraged to take home leftovers or donate excess packaged foods. You can even share your leftovers with birds and stray cats.
What We Can Do?
- Change doesn’t just happen in the kitchen, it starts with each of us:
- Take only what you’ll eat. If you’re not very hungry, ask for a smaller portion!
- Bring reusable containers for leftovers. Take home unused food instead of throwing it away.
- Speak up. Give feedback on the canteen menu to replace less popular foods with favorites, which will reduce waste.
- Get involved. Participate in food waste awareness campaigns and help younger students make better food choices.
So next time you’re in the canteen, ask yourself: Will I actually eat this? That simple question might be the most powerful tool we
Want to make a difference? Talk to your teachers about starting a food waste committee or organizing a waste audit. Every voice counts, and every action matters.
Chourouk Kobeissy
LSQ Sustainability Committee
References
Business Waste. (2025). School waste facts. https://www.businesswaste.co.uk/sectors/school-waste-management/school-waste-facts/
European Week for Waste Reduction. (2023). Schools against foodwaste: Tools to prevent food waste in the cafeterias. https://ewwr.eu/schools-against-foodwaste-tools-to-prevent-food-waste-in-the-cafeterias/
Great Green Systems. (2025). Top 10 tips for composting in schools. https://greatgreensystems.com/blogs/blog/top-10-tips-for-composting-in-schools
High Speed Training. (2025). Food waste in schools. https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/food-waste-in-schools/
Markas. (2025). Monitoring food waste in school canteens. https://www.markas.com/en/monitoring-food-waste-in-school-canteens–1-1701.html
South Dakota State University Extension. (2025). Food waste in schools and strategies to reduce it. https://extension.sdstate.edu/food-waste-schools-and-strategies-reduce-it
The Felix Project. (2025). Top 5 food waste facts. https://thefelixproject.org/news/top-5-food-waste-facts
WINS Solutions. (2025). How to create an eco-friendly school canteen. https://www.winssolutions.org/how-to-create-an-eco-friendly-school-canteen/
Zero Waste Chef. (2025). 12 ways to reduce wasted food in schools. https://zerowastechef.substack.com/p/12-ways-to-reduce-wasted-food-in
