Eco-Friendly: Blacow Elementary Waste Reduction Efforts Featured on Telemundo

In the 2022-23 school year, Fremont Unified launched a pilot program to use stainless steel reusable trays, forks and spoons during school lunch service. The pilot will initially include five elementary schools, one in each attendance area.

After Blacow Elementary joined the pilot in October 2023, Telemundo 48 interviewed Principal Jose Hernandez to learn more about the program. Click here to watch the segment.

This program is one element of Fremont Unified's environmental sustainability efforts supported and directed by the Board of Education, including through approval of the “The Roosevelt Resolution” in 2022 to set goals for transitioning Fremont Unified into a zero-waste to landfill entity.

As part of its goals to honor The Roosevelt Resolution and comply with SB1383, Fremont Unified's Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Department proposed this pilot program to replace single-use compostable trays and spork kits with reusable stainless steel trays and utensils. The pilot seeks to reduce compostable and plastic waste, as well as alleviate supply chain issues for single use trays and utensils, positively impact waste hauling cost, and teach students the importance of sustainability efforts.

Pilot materials were purchased by our partners at Plastic Free Restaurants and the City of Fremont at no cost to Fremont Unified, and a cleaning service washes the reusable trays and utensils at their facilities. StopWaste also supports this project, and is a partner in many waste reduction efforts in Fremont Unified.

Learn more about this pilot program in this Reusable Trays and Utensils Pilot Program presentation that Director of Child Nutrition Services Johannes van der Pool presented to the Fremont Unified Board of Education on January 23, 2023.

Read through our Eco-Friendly stories to find out more about the great work by our staff, students and community on environmental topics.