LAUSD signs new trash contract

Los Angeles Unified students will learn recycling and composting along with reading and writing under a $40 million trash-removal contract that includes a plan to educate kids about conservation.Barbara Jones in the Daily News,

Under a five-year deal approved Tuesday by the school board, Consolidated Disposal Service plans to work with the district on ways to keep thousands of tons of rubbish -- primarily food waste and recyclables -- out of Sunshine Canyon and other local landfills. The goal is to divert 70 percent of the estimated 114,251 tons of waste generated annually by schools and offices, up from the nearly 64 percent diverted from dumps last year.

"Consolidated is taking a holistic approach to waste management," with composting and recycling included along with solid-waste disposal, said John Sterritt, director of Los Angeles Unified's Office of Environmental Health and Safety. "The intent is to minimize what we're putting in the landfill."