The Rhode Island House of Representatives has approved a bill sponsored by Newport Rep. Lauren Carson that would require schools to compost or recycle cafeteria food waste and publicly disclose how they’re doing it.
The bill (2026-H 7342) would require all school food service contracts to include provisions mandating the composting or recycling of organic waste — a step up from existing law, which only encourages schools to do so. It would also require schools to publicly report the results of their waste audits, which are currently conducted every three years but kept out of public view.
The legislation also establishes a formal framework for “share tables,” already common in many school cafeterias, where students can leave unopened food for classmates rather than throw it away.
Carson pointed to the urgency of the issue, noting that Rhode Island’s only landfill is on track to reach capacity by 2045.
“We’ve been slow-rolling food-waste diversion at schools for years,” said Carson, a Democrat representing District 75 in Newport. “The schools that do it have shown that they can make a very significant impact. And even more importantly, they are shaping the next generation’s habits around keeping food waste out of the trash.”
According to the Rhode Island School Recycling Project, 5 million pounds of food is wasted at Rhode Island schools each year, with an estimated 776,698 pounds of that being perfectly usable food — a significant figure given that one in three Rhode Island families experiences food insecurity.
The School Recycling Project, a voluntary program currently active in more than 70 schools, has diverted an estimated 711.6 tons of food waste from the landfill and recovered 80 tons of usable food through share tables since launching with three schools in 2021. Organizers expect the program to reach half of Rhode Island’s schools by 2027 and all of them by 2030.
Carson was joined in the House gallery for the vote by Julie Dorsey, principal of Smithfield’s LaPerche Elementary School, and three LaPerche students — Nika Pagios, Maxwell Polseno and Jacelyn Bushee — who serve as food waste rangers in their cafeteria. LaPerche was one of the three schools that participated in the recycling project’s inaugural year.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Bridget Valverde, a Democrat representing parts of North Kingstown, East Greenwich and South Kingstown, is sponsoring companion legislation. That bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.
