MONTREAL -- In its efforts to make Montreal a 'zero-waste' city by 2030, the city announced Thursday that 22 Montreal elementary and high schools will take part in a composting pilot project.

Composting in the schools, which are from four different school boards, will begin gradually next year.

Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, the executive commitee member in charge of the city's ecological transition, said the pilot project aims both to reduce food waste in schools and to raise awareness among students of the environmental benefits of composting.

The city says the pilot project was in part due to several requests from Montreal schools to take part in the city's composting service. 

The pilot project will be used to collect information and best practices that will then lead to the gradual introduction of composting in all 700 or so Montreal schools by 2025.

The composting at the schools taking part in the pilot project will be collected on the same days that residential composting in the schools' neighbourhoods is picked up.

Here is a list of the 22 schools taking part in the pilot project:

Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM)

École Ahuntsic

École Le Plateau

École Saint-Jean-de-Matha

École Maisonneuve

École Saint-Justin

École Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande

Marguerite-De la Jemmerais

École Saint-Anselme

École Pierre-Dupuy

École Joseph-François-Perrault

English Montreal School Board (EMSB)

Coronation School

Royal Vale School

East Hill School

Vincent-Massey College

Nesbitt School

Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys (CSMB)

École Terre-des-Jeunes

École Guy-Drummond

École Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix

École Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes

École Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île (CSPI)

École Gabrielle-Roy

École de la Belle-Rive