Bromfield's Chef Paul Correnty prepares soup at the Harvard Farmers' Market last October. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

The Bromfield School has a reputation for high MCAS scores, record-breaking athletes, and an outstanding lunch program, and now, thanks to the efforts of Chef Paul Correnty, it may be establishing itself as a leader in school recycling.

Correnty told the Press this week that he had been “looking for something new to do,” to improve his already outstanding cafeteria program, which offers students food choices like vegetable jambalaya, steamed brown rice, and chicken breast cordon bleu. He talked to several people to get ideas for a new project, including Special Education teacher Davida Bagatelle and seventh-grade teacher Wyatt Holt, who had started a plastics recycling program in the cafeteria. Once he started asking questions, people started pointing out things they may have been too polite to tell him before, he said, such as how much Styrofoam and paper was being wasted in the cafeteria. Facilities Director Mark Force told him that the cafeteria was generating about eight large bags of trash every day throughout the school year—trash that the school pays to have hauled away. Taking into account the $22,000 of disposables he purchases annually for the cafeteria, Correnty realized there was a huge opportunity here, not only to save money, but also—and more importantly—to reduce impact on the environment.

He contacted schools in Boston and other towns in the state to see what they were doing in the way of recycling cafeteria waste, and what he found surprised him.

“No one else is doing this,” he said.

In October Correnty started doing research on what would be involved in replacing the disposables with washables. Because of septic system constraints, they wouldn’t be able to wash the same number of items that are currently being thrown away, he said, so he decided to look into compartmentalized trays, which would accommodate main dishes as well as multiple side dishes, currently served in Styrofoam bowls. Correnty estimated that with the implementation of the trays, cafeteria waste could be reduced by half.

A project like this requires “funding, education, and implementation planning,” he said.

But first it requires support. Superintendent Tom Jefferson “has been extremely supportive since the beginning, and has encouraged us to go forward with it,” Correnty said. He noted that the new program will also require support from students. He said that seniors will be able to help with the program as part of their senior projects, and expects to enlist their help in directing the trash disposal in the cafeteria. He emphasized the importance of “getting everyone invested in it and responsible for it.”

To implement the program Correnty will need not only trays but also custom-built racks where students turn them in at the end of the lunch period. “You can’t get racks like this commercially,” he said. The racks will be located in an exit area in the cafeteria, along with bins where used cutlery and bowls can be deposited.

For funding, Correnty approached the Harvard Schools Trust, which committed to provide 60 percent of the cost of the trays. The balance will be funded from the cafeteria budget.

Prior to the implementation there will be two student assemblies to explain the changes and the positive impact they will have on the environment, Correnty said, adding that he hopes to implement the cafeteria changes soon after the first of the year. “It will be Bromfield’s New Year’s resolution,” he said.

Correnty will present an overview of the enhanced recycling program at Monday’s School Committee meeting.