Castro Valley schools have a lot to be proud of when it comes to waste reduction and recycling, and on Saturday, Feb. 4, Independent Elementary School Principal Jim Kentris and Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) were not afraid to show it.
Mr. Kentris and CVSan’s Jordan Figueiredo presented to teachers, administrators, students, and local government staff at the Sixth Annual Bay Area Schools Environmental Conference in San Jose.
CVSan shared its key school programs such as the Green Ribbon Schools Program, Waste Audits, and Food Scrap Recycling — each of which is implemented with Castro Valley schools to help them reduce the amount of materials sent to landfill.
Mr. Kentris explained how Independent Elementary, through its partnership with CVSan and great work on campus, got to the point where they now generate only a tiny amount of garbage at lunchtime.
In fact, Independent Elementary recycles and composts (diverts) 91 percent of materials that used to be thrown away as garbage!
As a result, the school, which happens to be the largest elementary school in Castro Valley, generates 2 cubic yards of garbage per week.
Not bad, considering the school sent 14 cubic yards of garbage to landfill each week just 5 short years ago!
