Whether it’s an untouched orange or an unopened yogurt, once food leaves a school’s kitchen, food safety regulations prohibit it from returning. That means some perfectly edible food ends up in the dumpster.

Old Rochester Regional Food Service Director Caitlin Meagher says she and the cafeteria workers are looking for ways they can keep food from going to waste.

“It’s especially upsetting when whole apples are going right into the trash,” said Meagher.

Recent school food mandates may also contribute to the issue. In an effort to get students to eat healthier, state and federal guidelines require them to take a fruit or vegetable when they go through the line ... but you can't make them eat it.

At the junior high and high school, a box is left in the lunchroom for students to leave uneaten fruit, as long as it is whole. At Center School in Mattapoisett, kids can put an unopened cheese stick or yogurt on the condiment table for another child to pick up.

“My concern is ensuring that, if we have a table where students can leave food, I want to make sure it’s still clean and safe to eat,” Meagher said.

Polling students, particularly at the high school, has helped Meagher to reduce some of the waste.

“We have taken students’ feedback and chosen fruit they like,” she said. “We have very little waste in the building.”

Bananas and seasonal fresh fruit salads are big hits with older students, and elementary school students like vegetables that have been cut up and can be dipped in dressing.

A teacher at the high school also takes leftover apples to feed to her horses, and Meagher welcomes calls from members of the community who might be able to use some of the food waste for their compost or farm animals.

Meagher said there are companies who pick up compost, but it would cost the school money it doesn’t have, so she is always keeping an eye out for new options.

“It’s certainly on our radar,” she said.

To contact Caitlin Meagher, call the Old Rochester Regional central office at 508-758-2772 or email cmeagher@orr.mec.edu.