Our Grassroots History

2004

Parents in Estabrook began Lexington's very first lunchtime recycling and composting program.

2006

Two parents at Bridge Elementary School started Eco-Bridge - our town's longest-lasting Green Team ever!  Including lunchtime recycling and onsite composting.

2012

Lexington's 3rd Green Team Hastings Go Green started lunchtime recycling.

2008-13

Parents and Green Teams advocated for eliminating styrofoam trays in all schools.

2015

Compostable trays replaced styrofoam trays (400,000 per year).

2016

• All nine public schools started compost pickup service by Black Earth Compost. 

• Whitsons Food Service staff in LPS kitchens began to compost food scrap. 

• Students at three more elementary schools (Estabrook, Harrington, and Hastings) began to compost food waste, napkins and lunch trays. 

2017

• School Committee approved new Hastings building to have a dishwashing facility.

• Fiske Elementary School students began to compost lunch waste on Fridays.

2018

• School Committee approved School Policy Section EDE - WASTE REDUCTION: CONSERVATION, RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING.

• Green Team volunteers established Zero Waste Stations at school and community events (including LEF and Discovery Day).  

• By November, Bowman Elementary, Clarke and Diamond Middle Schools, and Lexington High School have had active Green Teams leading the waste reduction and recycling/composting effort during lunchtime and at events. We  have reached 100% participation in all 9 Lexington Public Schools!

2019

• Whitsons Food Service phases out petroleum-based plastic straws and utensils.

• Plastic bag/film recycling through Trex expands to 8 LPS schools.

• Joined forces with Lexington Girl Scout troop in proposing and passing bylaw changes to eliminate/reduce petroleum-based plastic beverage straws and stirrers, and expanded polystyrene food serviceware and packaging.

• All nine LPS schools are composting and recycling lunch waste every day, diverting 3.3 tons of organic waste from the incinerator each week.  

2020

• Began a Food Rescue Program pilot at Diamond Middle School, in partnership with the town Health Dept., Whitsons, and FoodLink.

• Partnered with Lexington DPW and Sustainable Lexington to promote International Compost Awareness Week and help distribute free bins to new Black Earth curbside compost pickup Lexington customers.

2021

• Part of Clean Heat Lexington in bringing Warrant Article 31 CLEAN HEAT-HOME RULE LEGISLATION/BYLAW AMENDMENT/ FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE in Annual Town Meeting.

2022-23

• Together with Lexington Zero Waste Collaborative, LexCAN, and countless residents, we advocated for the town's pilot food waste collection program for 2,000 households, which was approved by Select Board and Town Meeting, started July 1, 2023. (Featured in Lexington Observer.) 

2023

• All 9 public schools started to have Sustainability Champion position to lead and coordinate sustainability efforts in the fall

• Hastings Elementary School started using the dishwasher for trays and utensils by November, saving about 1% of the total revenue for the entire district.

2024

• Supported the passage of Article 31 Prohibit single-serve plastic water bottles at 2024 Annual Town Meeting.

• Supporting LHS Envirothon team in proposing Town policy and LPS policy (under section EDEF) on phasing out single-use plastic drink bottles, which was passed unanimously by the Select Board and School Committee. (A School Committee meeting minute in 10/2024 is available here.)

• Collaborated with the Town (DPW, DPF, Sustainability and Resilience Officer), LPS, Whitsons Food Service, and Clean Water Action, in the application for MassDEP SMRP Municipal Grant for dishwashers at Fiske and Harrington.

• Supported the town in expanding the food waste collection program to 4,000 households.

• We collaborated with Lexington Zero Waste Collaborative (LexZeroWaste.org) and Lexington Climate Action Network (LexCAN.org) in starting an event share inventory to help the community and organizations to host events with reusable plates, utensils, glasses, tablecloth, water dispensers  

2025

• When the funding application for MassDEP SMRP Municipal Grant was not successful, we continued to support the stakeholders in getting a $25,000 funding earmarked by State Rep Michelle Ciccolo, $10,000 from Community Endowment of Lexington, funding from Whitsons Food Service in installing a dishwasher at Harrington in the summer of 2025. 

• LHS Green Team is collecting food waste for chickens for 5 local families. 

• In May 2025 we cosponsored AAPI 5K Run/Walk in waste avoidance and reduction efforts, with water dispensers, compostable cups/plates/utensils, compost/recycle/trash sorting stations.

• We continue to support the Town's effort in sponsoring curbside collection by Black Earth Compost, expanded from 2,000 to 4,000 households 

• In June 2025, the Select Board approved a pilot program with Black Earth Compost to compost food waste at Lexington's Hartwell facility (download the presentation here), which had been advocated and supported by LPS Green Teams, Waste Reduction Task Force, residents, and organizations. The program will commence in the summer of 2025.