ATHENS, Ohio — The Athens City School District is researching the cost and practicality of replacing plastic lunch trays with stainless steel trays at current and future school buildings, following a presentation by Athens High School students at the board of education’s June meeting.
The students are members of Athens ReThink Plastics, a group of local residents concerned about the environmental and health impacts caused by plastic. The group was most notably involved in the city’s brief plastic bag ban before it was struck down in court.
Margaret Nunemaker, a junior at Athens High School, said that the group got the idea to replace the lunch trays after seeing student groups at other schools across the country accomplish similar efforts. Originally planning on proposing getting a dishwasher for the new school, the group shifted their focus to lunch trays after learning a new dishwasher was already in the works.
Nunemaker told the Independent that Athens High School uses styrofoam lunch trays while the elementary schools use a mix of plastic and styrofoam trays.
“We should have that happen here, because the styrofoam is out of control,” Nunemaker said. “One, it’s harming our students, and two, it’s harming the environment, which will harm us all later.”
The students are referring to microplastics, extremely small bits of plastic created as the item breaks down in the environment. Medical studies have found that humans are exposed to several milligrams of microplastics everyday and have linked microplastics to gastrointestinal, respiratory, reproductive, and neurological complications.
Microplastics have had widely documented impacts on the environment, too: They make up an estimated 94% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch according to Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit dedicated to removing trash from the world’s oceans. Similarly, microplastics have been found in soil, livestock and marine animals according to studies published in the International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology and the research journal Animals.
Janalee Stock, a member of Athens ReThink Plastics who is working with the students, is excited to see the next generation care about these issues.
“[Microplastics and the associated problems are] all very disturbing, quite frankly, and to see young people that haven’t lost heart and are passionate and ready to take on complex problems is exciting,” Stock said. “I think that there is a little hypocrisy when we teach in science class about what’s happening on the planet, and yet they go to the cafeteria and see a very different landscape. So to see young people that have the energy and the commitment and enthusiasm, the intelligence to take on the issue, it’s just so exciting to me.”
A large crowd attended the presentation at Chauncey Elementary School. Most of them raised their hands when asked if they supported replacing the trays.
Rachel Prange, a senior at Athens High School, was one of the students who presented to the board of education.
“We don’t have many clubs that are directly doing things about sustainability or local issues,” Prange said. “I thought that it was really cool to be a part of.”
This wouldn’t be the first time that the Athens City School District has invested money into a more durable product, Stock said. She recalled a former teacher at Chauncey who replaced plastic chairs with more environmentally friendly ones.
“Yes, there was a cost to it, but they lasted,” Stock said. “And those stainless steel trays will last a very long, long time.”
Athens Superintendent Chad Springer and board President Sean Parsons told the Independent that they support the measure, but need to figure out the cost and practicality of switching over to stainless steel lunch trays.
“From my perspective, I think it’s a great idea,” Parsons said. “Like a lot of things, it comes down to cost and feasibility. I don’t see a feasibility issue, and the cost hopefully would be very negligible. If that’s the case, I would anticipate being able to have a moment of celebration with these students, when we open up the new school and they see something that they took action on, come to life.”
Parsons emphasized that the board doesn’t need to make an immediate decision on this matter, as the new high school will not open until 2027.
“As we’re having conversations about the building process and the materials that we put in schools, this would be part of those conversations between the design team, facilities and people that are involved in that process,” Parsons said.
In the meantime, Springer has been working to figure out how switching over to stainless steel would impact both the current cafeterias and the new high school cafeteria and if the school has the infrastructure to support such a change.
“I have scheduled a meeting with our Director of Food Services to determine if we did switch existing trays . . . from plastic to stainless steel, what’s the cost?” Springer said. “What would be the impact on if we did the whole district versus each building? How does that affect our infrastructure? Is [our current infrastructure] capable of washing stainless steel? What’s the longevity of stainless steel versus plastic?”
Springer spoke with the students about the possibility of deploying the project in phases at different buildings over the coming years, he said, and mentioned that the students would be involved in fundraising and grant applications for the project.
Regardless of the details on how the project will be implemented, both Parsons and Springer highlighted the importance of student involvement. Parsons pointed to the project as a valuable experience for the students while Springer spoke about the importance of hearing student voices.
“You have to include student voices in your decisions, because they are stakeholders too,” Springer said.
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