All the chickenburgers, fish nuggets, macaroni salad and cheese pizza the kids didn't finish for lunch at Bellevue's elementary schools won't go to waste this year -- it's going to be turned into soil, under a new plan to collect food scraps at the district's 16 elementary schools.

The elementaries will begin separating food waste out for recycling over the next two years, with help from a state grant and funding from Bellevue's solid waste fund.

Last year, as part of a pilot, Somerset Elementary recycled 56 tons of food waste, sending the scraps to Cedar Grove. The new program adds the district's 15 other schools in a gradual rollout that started in January and will continue through December 2011, and is expected to turn 1,800 tons of food waste and biodegradable containers into compost.

The city received a $19,000 grant from the state Department of Ecology, and is using $6,340 from its solid waste fund, to support the program. The money covers the cost of food waste containers, biodegradable bags and collection service by Cedar Grove. Four schools will use compostable trays instead of Styrofoam ones this year.

The city hopes it will be able to show that food waste collection and recycling can pay for itself through reduction of solid waste collection and disposal costs, said Wendy Hairfield, community relations specialist for the city's utilities department. If recycling food waste does pay for itself, the program may be expanded to Bellevue's middle and high schools.

A few neighboring school districts, including Lake Washington, have been doing food-waste recycling at school for several years, and have found that it does save money.

If you've ever wondered how moldy food gets turned into compost, there's a video that shows the process on the Cedar Grove web site.

If you're really into compost, you can even sign up for a public tour.

And if you want to know what kids are eating for lunch,here's the menu for March.