COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — An elementary school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is one step closer to a zero-waste lunch program.

"Students threw about 500 foam trays in the landfill every week," said Buena Vista Elementary kitchen manager Tammy Burghart. "I got tired of seeing all the waste. We went from five to six trash cans down to one."

After 13 years, Burghart said she was happy to finally get reusable lunch trays last month.

Buena Vista Elementary School is the second school in District 11 to get reusable lunch trays.

The next step in the sustainability initiative is replacing plastic utensils.

Burghart said she hopes other schools can follow her school's lead.

"Now, if I could get the kids to eat their vegetables, I would be in Heaven," she said.

This story was originally reported on KOAA.com.