By Jake Raphael

Every day, excess food ends up in the trash. Some will go to landfills to decompose over the next hundred years; others will go to an incinerator to be burned to generate energy. However, one more fate can now officially be added to the list of destinies for our garbage. Starting in 2017, South will compost garbage. Composting involves recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost. By composting organic waste, we are returning nutrients back into the soil.
The compost movement was started and led by the Environmental Club. Vice President Julia Gorenstein, during a summer board meeting, suggested that the club should push for the school to compost the garbage.
Environmental Club President Gabe Lefkowitz had to ask a series of people in order to make the club’s dream a reality, including club advisors Mr. Patrick Graham and Ms. Abby Brighton, Principal Ms. Susan Elliott, Assistant Principal Mr. John Duggan, and Head Custodian Mr. Peter Rapp.
After securing approval, the club reached out to the Town of North Hempstead and paid 50 dollars for two compost bins. Due to how much organic material is in the garbage per day, two bins were bought instead of one.
There has been positive feedback to the decision to implement new compost bins. Sophomore Dylan Kareff said, “I think that it is a good idea that we compost because it is beneficial for the environment, and if we don’t take care of the environment, it may lead to environmental problems in the future.”