In 1995 the first of Mansfield, Connecticut’s elementary schools began dabbling with the idea of composting food waste. By 1998 all three of the Mansfield elementary schools were composting their lunchtime food waste in a small commercial composter located at one of the elementary schools. Two years later, the Town of Mansfield’s public works department, on behalf of the Mansfield Middle School, applied for a Connecticut DEP organics recycling grant to expand the program to the middle school. The Town was awarded a $23,000 grant to implement a three-part project that included 1) the installation of compartmentalized compost bins at the Mansfield Middle School and promotion of the program, 2) development of a web site, and 3) publication of a "how-to" manual for Connecticut schools about starting their own composting program.