Mililani High School CASE STUDY

Mililani High School sought to expand its active student-led composting and organic waste diversion program while providing students with hands-on opportunities to learn about sustainable food systems and mālama ʻāina—the Hawaiian ethos of caring for the land. Through the school’s G.R.O.W. Program, Mililani High also serves as a community hub for public educational workshops hosted by the City and County of Honolulu Department of Environmental Services. 

The school needed a solution capable of processing daily cafeteria food scraps alongside campus green waste while helping reduce the high costs associated with disposal. The program also promotes resource recovery, healthy soil, and local farm-to-school initiatives, connecting students and the broader community with practical approaches to keeping valuable organics out of landfills. 

Building on the success of GMT’s existing local installations, Mililani High School selected an Earth Flow IM-20 in-vessel composting system. Full Circle Farms provided local operational and installation support, giving the school access to experienced assistance in maintaining its composting program. Automated aeration, built-in biofilter, moisture, and odor controls allow the Earth Flow to handle larger volumes of cafeteria and lunch waste while maintaining consistent composting conditions. The contained system design helps maintain optimal conditions while controlling odors and pests.

Students play an active role in managing the campus composting program. Science classes and student groups manage agricultural waste and use the Earth Flow to process cafeteria scraps, giving students the opportunity to observe decomposition at a larger scale. The program connects classroom learning with soil health, sustainable food systems, and farm-to-school initiatives.

The IM-20’s shipping-container-based design helped reduce transportation and shipping costs associated with bringing composting infrastructure to Hawaiʻi. By converting cafeteria food scraps and campus trimmings into nutrient-rich compost, Mililani High School diverts organic material from landfills while creating a high value finished compost and giving students a hands-on role in advancing local sustainability.