Pope Farm Elementary School Head Cook Cliff Curtis has introduced several sustainability initiatives in the school’s cafeteria, including new trash can toppers to reduce silverware loss and cut down on waste, according to a Mar. 31 announcement.
The effort aims to save money and minimize environmental impact by decreasing the use of disposable items and preventing silverware from being thrown away. These changes are part of a broader commitment within the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District to support responsible practices in its facilities.
Curtis said he was motivated by frequent losses of silverware, noting, “We were losing silverware left and right. On an average day, we served 250 students and I would pull 75 pieces of silverware out of the trash. At 40 cents a piece, that adds up to $25-30 a day in silverware.” To address this issue, Curtis worked with Food and Nutrition Supervisor David Montag to pilot magnetic trash can lids designed to catch metal flatware before it is discarded. The school purchased two toppers at $179 each in November.
According to Curtis, the toppers now recover about 95% of lost silverware: “At $179 per lid, that’s a week’s worth of silverware paid for.” He also replaced paper boats used for breakfast with reusable trays and eliminated plastic utensils except for occasional late arrivals. “I have cut plastic and paper use here almost to zero,” he said. “What this school must have put into a landfill every year with plastic forks and knives alone would be 1,500 per week.” Curtis added: “I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s bad for the planet and bad for business.”
Montag said Pope Farm’s pilot program was so successful that similar measures will be expanded district-wide: “Seeing the immediate return on investment at Pope Farm made the decision to expand easy,” Montag said. “By scaling these sustainability measures to all our elementary schools, we aren’t just saving thousands of dollars in replacement costs, we’re teaching our students that small, operational changes can have a massive impact on our environment.”
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District serves Middleton and Cross Plains in Wisconsin according to its official website. The district maintains facilities supporting education from early childhood through high school while emphasizing programs such as literacy, math, social-emotional learning according to its official website. It promotes community engagement through extracurricular activities as well as leadership opportunities according to its official website, strives for student preparedness amid global challenges according to its official website, has achieved top ACT composite scores among public non-charter schools locally according to its official website, and Dr. Dana Monogue served as superintendent according to its official website.
These steps reflect ongoing efforts within local schools toward greater sustainability while providing practical lessons on resource conservation.
