The city's in-school scrap collection program will grow from 90 schools to more than 720 around the city.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- That unfinished school lunch tossed in the garbage will soon be more than trash.
As announced Monday, composting programs will be placed throughout Staten Island and Manhattan public schools, according to DNAinfo.
The city's in-school scrap collection program will grow from 90 schools to more than 720 around the city, the Department of Sanitation said this week.
The eco-friendly program collects items ranging from food, yard waste and discarded paper, which makes up nearly one-third of garbage sent to landfills to be converted into compost or natural gas, the Sanitation Department said.
"Our children are learning the importance of preserving our natural resources through initiatives like the Organics Collection Program," School's Chancellor Carmen Farina said in a statement, as reported by DNAinfo.
"Programs like these are integral for the health of our environment and this expansion to schools in all boroughs is a great step."
The city also launched a pilot program of curbside organic collections in 2013 in several neighborhoods in Staten Island and has since expanded it throughout the city.
The participating neighborhoods began with Westerleigh in May 2013. A year ago, neighboring areas Mariners Harbor and Graniteville were added, according to the Sanitation site.
Public schools throughout the boroughs participating in the program can be viewed throughout the Department's website.