From Coffee to Compost at St. Mary South Side
As a Marianist school that values hospitality, St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School has discovered innovative ways that support its recycling efforts for single-use plastics.
At St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School, we have one small indulgence: brewing our coffee with K-Cups. We are certainly aware of the ecological concerns surrounding single-use plastics, but we make this exception for a good reason. With a small staff of daily coffee drinkers and a steady stream of community visitors, these K-Cups let us offer a fresh, welcoming cup to everyone who walks through our doors—a simple practice of the traditional Marianist hospitality.
This year, we are not throwing used K-Cups in the trash. Students will earn internal service credit by removing the now-dried grounds from the K-Cups and gently spreading the grounds over our flower beds and around our numerous trees. The rinsed K-Cups can now be recycled. This will also be a platform to inform our students about ways to reduce personal plastic use.
St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School wants our students to see tangible ways they can repurpose everyday items used by their own community. Composting our soil helps our trees
and plants and lets our students see new growth with their own hands.
Update sent by Curt Sidorski,
Ministry Lead, Marianist Encounters,
Social Studies & Media Teacher,
St. Louis, MO