Beautification and Environment Commission

School Composting

Metro Beautification & Environment Commission supports Metro Nashville Davidson County area school composting efforts with education programs, compost bins and a loaner worm bin program.

Composting and worm bins are fascinating ways to observe the process of decomposition first hand. Students are able to observe their food and yard waste as it is processed by nature's recycling crew: worms, roly poly bugs, and other tiny decomposers.

Interested in composting at your school? Contact Metro Beautification to find out how to apply for a compost bin or a worm bin loaner kit!

How can my school participate?

earth machine compost binCompost Bins for science education and school gardens:

  • WHAT: Davidson County public and private schools may apply for a compost bin. The Earth Machine compost bin comes with instructions. The bin is open to the ground to allow worms and other decomposers to enter the bin and decompose yard and food waste and has a screw-on, tight fitting lid.
  • HOW: Your class can compost just leaves and garden clippings, and they can add the fruit and vegetable remains from their lunches and watch it all change into mulch over a period of time.
  • WHY: Students will have a first hand view of decomposition at work and will learn about this natural form of waste disposal and recyling. Read how schools are using their compost bins.

Worm Bin Loaner Program: worm bin on wagon

  • WHAT: Davidson County public and private schools may apply for a loaner worm bin to use in the classroom. The worm bin comes with instructions, a care chart so you know what to do and when to do it, a book about worms for your students to read, and a little red wagon to conveniently and attractively store and transport the worm bin.
  • HOW: Worm bins are easy to maintain: just add moist shredded newspaper; a banana peel, apple core and coffee grounds, and watch the worms eat the garbage!
  • WHY: Students will have a first hand view of decomposers at work and will learn about this natural form of waste disposal. Students have the opportunity to take the worm bin to other classes and make presentations about the worms - an innovative way to motivate students to practice public speaking skills. Read how schools are using the loaner worm bins.

What schools are doing with their compost bins:

  • Sylvan Park Earth MachineAt Sylvan Park Paideia School, Mr. McClain's first grade class is composting with Earth Machine compost bins supplied by Metro Beautification. They are conducting a leaf drive to get leaves to add to the bins. The compost is used in the school garden.
  • At Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School students set up an Earth Machine compost bin, filling the bin with alternating one inch deep layers of straw and green grass clippings, a few pounds of coffee grounds and some weeds from the raised beds.
  • Earth Machine in Napier Elementary School GardenAt Napier Enhanced Option Elementary School the compost bin is located in one of the bends of our "N"-shaped Napier School and Community vegetable garden.  We will use it more as we have raw materials to add.  Right now we just place garden wastes in it.  Students are shown how to use it as we garden together.  We plan to use it regularly this year and in the future as long as we continue to have a school garden.

How schools are using the loaner worm bins:

  • Napier Elementary: Jane Gough's first grade class hosted the worm bin for the June 2007 session. Here's what students said about the experience: I don't want the worms to leave! We liked to feed the worms. We liked the worms because they wiggled in our hands. They dropped castings and ate our banana peels from breakfast.
  • Buena Visa Elementary: Anne Turner hosted the worms in the library for the June 2007 session. This was the perfect project for our kids. They learned all about worms, how they moved and what they ate.
  • McKissack Middle School students in the Life Skills class hosted the worm bin during the Spring 2007 semester. Students learned all about the worms. The worm book was one student's favorite book; she read it every day. The students made presentations about the worm bin to two classes and even surprised a visiting presenter, Garbage Gus, with a presentation on worms for his staff!
  • McMurray Middle School counselor used the worm bin to work with emotionally disturbed students. The students fed and cared for the worms, recording the completed tasks in a journal. The students benefitted from having something they were responsible for.