Loudoun County Public Schools

A group of students and one adult stand behind a table in a school cafeteria, wearing green aprons and gloves. Clipboards and papers are on the table, and a sign in the background reads “Waste Station,” with cafeteria tables and wall banners visible behind them.

Students wearing aprons and disposable gloves stand along a cafeteria sorting station, placing leftover food and containers into large labeled bins. Other students wait in line behind the station, and international flags hang from the ceiling in the background.

Several students wearing aprons and gloves sort cafeteria waste into color-coded bins labeled “Food Scraps,” “Single Use Plastics,” and “Other Trash,” placing leftovers from divided trays into the appropriate containers. Informational signs are taped to the tables above each bin.

April 20, 2026

LCPS

It’s Earth Week, April 20-24! Recently at J.L. Simpson Middle School, students donned green aprons and gloves for a different kind of lunch duty. Throughout the school’s three lunch periods, members of the school’s Student Council collected, sorted and measured all the food and trash discarded by their classmates. Students at Watson Mountain Middle and Blue Ridge Middle conducted similar food‑waste audits. Backed by the data they collected, the students will develop communication plans to encourage their peers to reduce waste and make their schools greener. These audits are part of each school’s Green Team work, coordinated by the LCPS Office of Sustainability, and part of LCPS’ overall commitment to involving students in sustainable solutions for a greener tomorrow! Read more: https://lcps.pub/4cyYC1t

Families

Students

Community

Staff

About LCPS

School Board

Work for LCPS