Plastic abolished in the canteens of ten schools
The experiment was launched in the ten schools of Avignon but concerned, from January 2022, the 57 establishments of the municipality. In the canteens of these ten schools, plastic has been banned, reports The Dauphiné Libéré.
The people responsible for serving meals to schoolchildren have been using stainless steel dishes since the start of the school year. “This is a project that has mobilized us for several years. On several types of experienced trays, even bamboo, and ultimately stainless steel was the best solution for the total elimination of plastic, ”explained Cécile Helle, the mayor (PS) of Avignon.
A necessary restructuring
In addition to the purchase of new beneficiaries, this elimination of plastic must have necessitated the acquisition of new ovens. The municipality also rents two trucks to transport the food back to the central kitchen. A laundromat also had to be installed. For the comfort of school catering employees, who now have to carry much heavier dishes, new trolleys have been ordered.
In 2019, parents of students formed a collective to demand the elimination of plastic in canteens, for ecological reasons but also to protect their children from endocrine disruptors. This is therefore a first step.