The city unveiled a colorful mobile lab dedicated to lessons about recycling Tuesday morning amid promises to expand students’ awareness of environmental issues.

The first stop for the “Recyclarium” was at Public School 63 William McKinley in the East Village, a school that has reduced its trash by 85 percent in two months by composting food waste. Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott praised the efforts to increase environmental awareness within a school community.

“This school is operating like a lot of our schools, really taking a look at how they recycle, how they conserve energy, how they put new menu options in place,” he said. “All with the goal of making life better for our students not just now, but students moving forward in the future.”

Darlene Despeignes, the school’s principal, says she hopes the new mobile lab will help students understand the importance of recycling and not littering.

“We really want to get the children to have a really good sense of why they’re doing it and to feel a sense of purpose so they’re really driven to become lifelong recyclers,” she said.

The lab was converted by Sims Municipal Recycling. Plans are underway to visit schools in all five boroughs this coming school year.