The Hidden Cost of Lunch: What Schools Can Learn from Food Waste

 
 
 

Written by Jaclyn Geddes (Lees), CEO, enrich360

What is your school’s plan for food waste? Is there one at all?

From lunchbox leftovers and classroom snacks to canteen prep and school events, food waste in schools adds up quickly. But with the right mindset and tools, it becomes something much more powerful. A catalyst for learning, behaviour change, and long-term sustainability.

In my session, “Turning Waste into Wonder: Sustainability and the Food Waste Hierarchy in Schools”, I unpack how schools can take a proactive approach to food waste using the food waste hierarchy as a guide. Together we explore how small, everyday changes can reduce waste, cut costs, and build strong environmental values in students.

The Food Waste Hierarchy

The food waste hierarchy is a simple but powerful framework. It helps schools and students understand not only how to deal with food waste, but also where the greatest impact lies.

  1. Prevention – Avoid creating waste in the first place

  2. Reuse – Redirect edible food to those who can use it

  3. Recycle – Compost or convert food waste into a usable resource

  4. Recovery – Convert to energy where infrastructure exists

  5. Disposal – Always the last resort

The hierarchy is a great tool for classroom learning too. Whether it is science, maths, health, or civics, it gives students a real-world challenge they can engage with, track, and influence.

What This Looks Like in Schools

Every school is different. Some are just starting the conversation. Others are already composting, dehydrating, or running student-led sustainability teams. In this session I share examples and ideas that can apply across Foundation to Year 12, regardless of location, budget, or school size.

  • Prevention
    Waste audits, canteen ordering tweaks, and class discussions around food habits are all simple ways to reduce waste before it begins

  • Reuse
    Share tables or snack swaps allow students to redirect food that would otherwise be binned. It builds awareness and supports social thinking

  • Recycle
    Composting works well in some schools, but not all have the space or capacity. Food waste dehydration offers a clean and easy alternative, converting scraps into a dry, nutrient-rich material that can be used in gardens or sent home

  • Recovery and Disposal
    These last steps are often where schools unknowingly spend more than they need. Food waste is heavy. If your school is paying by bin or by weight, food scraps could be increasing your waste costs significantly. Processing waste on site can reduce the number of bins you need, the frequency of pickups, and the total cost of disposal. That is money that can go back into learning

Teaching Through Action

Food waste is something students can see, smell, weigh, and track. It creates a direct learning experience, which can be powerful and lasting.

  • Younger students might count pieces of uneaten food and track it in class

  • Older students might run waste audits, apply maths and science to measure progress, and take the lead on improving systems

In all year levels, the focus is on learning by doing. Students understand the why and help design the how.

You Already Have the Tools

Let’s be honest. If you work in sustainability education and have not heard of Sustainability Victoria or ResourceSmart Schools, you have probably been hiding under a rock.

The great news is both provide free, easy-to-access resources. From lesson plans and student guides to templates and audit sheets, the hard work has already been done. These tools can help schools embed sustainability into operations and the curriculum. The waste hierarchy fits naturally into this structure, and if you are already part of the framework, you are halfway there.

What You Will Take Away

This session is not about perfection or big budgets. It is about starting with what you have and building from there. You will leave with:

  • A clear understanding of the food waste hierarchy and how it applies to schools

  • Practical, age-appropriate ideas to use in classrooms and across whole-school activities

  • A better understanding of the connection between waste, cost, behaviour, and learning

  • Insight into how on-site food waste processing, including dehydration, can support your sustainability goals and classroom outcomes

Final Message

Food waste is not just a problem. It is an opportunity. When students are part of the solution, the learning is deeper, the behaviour is stronger, and the ripple effect is real.

Schools can be the spark. Let’s turn waste into wonder, one lunchbox at a time.

 
Darshana Amarsi