(January 21, 2011) – What do you get when you mix soggy potato chips, stale bread and half-eaten granola bars together?  You get soil enhancing, growth-producing and plant loving compost.  This is gold to 17-year-old Emily Peterson, a senior at South Carroll High School in Sykesville.  Emily, who was recently chosen as one of 12 students across the country to train and mentor her peers at the National Green Schools Youth Summit held in Minnesota, is building a composter to digest cafeteria waste and turn it into a valuable soil enhancer.  The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is donating scrap metal from old interstate directional signs to help frame the compost bins.

“My family has always composted in our home.  Composting is a natural way of recycling that benefits trees and plants, which create habitat for animals,” said Emily Peterson.  “We will be composting mostly grains, such as uneaten bread, rolls, potato chips and other snack foods.  I could not have accomplished this had it not been for Paul Kazyak, my mentor at DNR and the material donated by SHA.”

The initial design by students at South Carroll High School proposed constructing the composting bins out of oak.  Representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), who are consulting on the project, suggested making the bin framework out of metal because wood deteriorates over time.  Making large compost bins out of metal would have greatly increased the cost for the project.  DNR contacted SHA about using scrap metal from signs.  To support the project, SHA will donate 58 large aluminum panels to the school.  The composting bins will be 12x12x6 feet and have two internal compartments. 

“It is refreshing to see that students are leading environmental stewardship efforts in their communities,” said SHA Administrator Neil J. Pedersen.  “They are learning at a young age that sustaining the environment in small ways yields lasting results.”

The students will start building in February and ready to begin composting by spring.  The school will use the compost from cafeteria waste for landscaping supplements, planting American Chestnut Trees and other environmentally-friendly projects around the campus.  The goal of the composting project is to spread the idea of sustainable composting to other regional schools and encourage natural conservation projects.

Composting waste and turning the material into a viable growth inhibiting supplement supports Governor Martin O’Malley’s Smart, Green and Growing Initiative.  Introduced by Governor Martin O’Malley in October 2008, Maryland’s Smart, Green & Growing initiative was created to strengthen the state’s leadership role in fostering smarter, more sustainable growth and inspiring action among all Marylanders to achieve a more sustainable future. The initiative brings together state agencies, local governments, businesses and citizens to create more livable communities, improve transportation options, reduce the state’s carbon footprint, support resource based industry, invest in green technologies, preserve valuable resource lands and restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. To obtain more information about SHA’s commitment to a greener highway system, log onto www.roads.maryland.gov.

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