Composting in Schools

Turning school food waste into healthy soil, learning, and climate action.

Why Compost in Schools?

Every day, schools generate food waste — and with it, an opportunity. Composting transforms scraps into nutrient-rich soil, while also teaching students the value of circular systems.

With composting, schools can:

Cut food waste and reduce landfill emissions.
Grow food and gardens with healthy soil.
Inspire students through hands-on eco learning.
Build community by involving staff, canteens, and families.

What we offer

Workshops

Interactive sessions for students to explore composting, worm care, and food cycles.
CompoStations

Custom systems (bokashi, wormeries, or mixed) designed to fit your school’s needs.
Teacher Resources

Handbooks, lesson plans, and guides linking composting to the curriculum.
Student Teams

Support for eco clubs or green monitors who take ownership of the system.

How it works

Discovery Visit
We explore your school’s food waste and needs.
System Setup
Together, we install a composting system tailored to your space and routines.
Training
Staff, students, and canteen workers learn how to keep it running.
Ongoing Support
We provide activities, troubleshooting, and ideas to keep composting alive in your school.

Success Stories

Oak Garden

Working with Lucas Vale Primary School on the rebranding of the school to be eco-friendly by adding composting into the curriculum into KS1 and KS2, designing and building on-site composting stations from the canteen’s food “waste”, and offering staff and student training to maintain and manage the new systems.
University of the Arts London

Collaborating with different departments and courses across the university to embed composting into the creative curriculum through a rooftop composting facility.
As part of Earth Week, Compost Collective hosted two-days of workshops teaching students, staff, and alumni on the importance of soil health and sustainability.
Here East

Collaborating with Here East and Plykea to design and implement a bespoke composting system that processes both garden and staff food waste, generating nutrient-rich compost to sustain and regenerate their various green spaces.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School

At Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School we hosted two workshops with the school’s Eco-Team working with a range of different age groups. By giving the Eco-Team the knowledge and skills around composting, the students have been given the autonomy to skill-share with fellow class-mates and keep passing along the knowledge.
Climate Change all Change

Working with Lyndhurst School as part of Climate Change All Change, engaging students with extreme climate scenarios to reimagine their school around food waste and soil health. Through discussions on good design, materials, and a collaborative design sprint, students will see their ideas brought to life in a professional render in January 2025.