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Chelmsford High nearing 15,000 pounds diverted from waste stream during current school year

CHELMSFORD, Massachusetts (May 1, 2025) – After being adopted at Chelmsford High back in 2022, the composting program that was initiated by the school’s Ecology Club is thriving.

As of May 1, the program had already diverted 13,490 pounds of compostable items from the waste stream since the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

Having been involved with the Ecology Club since the inception of the composting program, senior Anisha Dantam said she’s proud of how it’s been received.

“Over the course of the last three years, we have been able to generate more and more compost each month, which is really awesome,” she said. “I think we started out around 2 tons per month, and now we’re up to 3 tons per month.”

Somi Chowdhury, CHS teacher and advisor of the Ecology Club, said the Chelmsford Recycling Committee was very eager to collaborate with the students to get the composting program going.

“And the Chelmsford Department of Public Works said they could allot some funds to us,” she said. “We started out by doing a trash audit.”

Through the audit, Chowdhury said the students and DPW staff members were able to determine how much compost could be collected throughout a given year at CHS.

“We were able to come up with a decent number,” she said. “So we said, let’s give it a try.”

In order to have a successful composting program, all of the students and staff at the high school needed to learn what is and is not compostable.

Chowdhury said the Ecology Club members educated themselves first and then began making flyers, providing announcements and setting up boards with images to guide the rest of the CHS community in accepting the change.

“It’s an ongoing thing,” she said. “We keep at it and sometimes have to give reminders.”

The Ecology Club members also take time to visit McCarthy Middle School’s eighth graders in order to educate them about composting before they make the transition to high school.

In the future, Chowdhury said she would ideally like to see composting instituted at both Parker and McCarthy Middle Schools.

“It’s very doable,” she said. “We just need a few individuals there who are enthusiastic about it.”

And the Ecology Club would likely play a huge role in educating those students about composting.

“We would show them how to compost and try to get them accustomed to the process,” said Ecology Club member Ved Dingar, a junior.

The Ecology Club is currently partnered with Bootstrap Compost and will be receiving some converted nutrient-rich soil back from the company, which will be put to good use.

“We will be getting compost back and using it to grow flowers, pollinators, sunflowers and blueberries,” Chowdhury said.

Ultimately, the club members are hopeful composting becomes a lifelong habit for all students throughout the district.

“People are seeing other students doing it, so that has encouraged them to compost, as well, which is really great,” said Ecology Club member Leen Najia, a junior. “So, the program is getting more and more attention.”

About Chelmsford Public Schools

The Chelmsford Public School District provides all students with multiple pathways to optimize their own potential for academic excellence, leadership, and social and emotional wellness. The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners to PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential. This PRIDE-driven culture enables all members of the school community to support the growth and development of students. For more information, please visit www.chelmsfordschools.org.