Composting in Schools

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

Work with Us

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

  1. Discovery Visit
    We explore your school’s food waste and needs.

  2. System Setup
    Together, we install a composting system tailored to your space and routines.

  3. Training
    Staff, students, and canteen workers learn how to keep it running.

  4. 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.

Curriculum Connections

Composting connects to:

  • Science – life cycles, microorganisms, soil health.

  • Geography – ecosystems, sustainability, climate action.

  • Art & Design – creative upcycling, poster-making, seed bomb workshops.

  • Citizenship – responsibility, teamwork, community action.

We provide ready-to-use resources to link composting directly to your lessons.

Bring Composting to Your School

Want your students to lead on climate action? Let’s create a composting system that works for your school.

Get in Touch