Albuquerque Public Schools
Turning Cafeteria Scraps into Garden Soil
APS Launches Food Waste Diversion Initiative
Every day, the Central Kitchen at Albuquerque Public Schools prepares 46,000 meals to nourish students across more than 140 schools. Now, thanks to a new pilot initiative, waste from that meal prep will help nourish local soil instead of filling up landfills.
Roughly 1,680 pounds of food waste has already been diverted from the landfill in the three weeks since the initiative was launched.
“This is exactly the kind of innovation we want Healthy Universal School Meals to inspire,” said Elizabeth Anichini, program manager for the state Public Education Department's Healthy Universal School Meals initiative. “Schools are reducing food waste by giving students time to eat, using share tables and donating surplus food. APS is going further by partnering with the community to keep remaining food waste out of landfills and put it to productive use.”
To make this vision a reality, APS joined forces with the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District, local composting company Soilutions, and national recycling partner Denali. Funded by the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District, the food waste diversion program helps reduce cafeteria waste and encourages sustainable habits across the district.
Under the program, organic waste from the APS Central Kitchen is collected once a week by Denali and transported to Soilutions’ composting facility in the South Valley. Using advanced depackaging technology, Denali efficiently separates food scraps from packaging at scale, allowing the waste to be converted into nutrient-rich compost.
“We’re not just managing waste, we’re teaching our students about the power of soil health, growing their own food and environmental stewardship,” said Marie Johnson, executive director of Food and Nutrition Services at APS.
The program creates a full circle loop for district gardens. Soilutions’ philanthropic branch, Generation Grow, already donates 200 cubic yards of compost, soil and mulch annually to local school and community gardens. By recycling cafeteria scraps into compost, the project gives students a hands-on look at environmental stewardship.
“This partnership takes that mission one step further by creating a true circular system — transforming food scraps from APS into compost that can one day nourish the very gardens where students learn, grow and connect with the environment,” said Dawn Dewey, CEO of Soilutions.
Beyond enhancing soil science and gardening education, diverting organic matter from landfills significantly cuts down on methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas. Organizers hope to expand the pilot into a districtwide program that serves as a model for schools state- and nationwide.
“Our goal is to make sure students and families see these habits show up in their everyday lives,” said Erin Blaz of the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District. “Adults have to practice what we’re teaching, too. That’s why a districtwide compost program matters so much.”