What Schools can do to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

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Recycling in school teaches students good habits they can practice at home and use for a lifetime. Through reducing waste and recycling, students gain an understanding about their responsibility to the environment and learn that they can make a significant difference through their actions to keep our land, air and water clean.

Recycling also benefits schools. Diverting recyclable material from the waste stream can save schools money in collection costs. By combining waste reduction practices with recycling, schools can save on materials costs as well.

Generally, school waste is generated in the cafeteria, offices and classrooms. Cafeteria waste is comprised mainly of food scraps and food packaging waste. Offices generate mostly paper. Classroom waste includes teaching materials such as mixed paper and pencil shavings, as well as food scraps.

At the end of the school year, classroom waste can swell to four times its regular amount, and include materials such as used workbooks, papers, and leftover school supplies. Classroom parties also contribute significantly to the quantity of trash.

Involving students in the recycling process is the hallmark of many successful programs. Besides requiring students to recycle, many programs go a step further and develop pride and ownership in the school's recycling efforts by having students help run the recycling operation.

Involve students in the promotion of the program as well. Students can create signs and posters to promote recycling and describe what materials can and cannot be recycled. Students can also check the recycling containers in each classroom to make sure they are labeled and that only recyclable materials were placed in the recycling bins.

Be sure to tell people who use the school building after school hours, community groups and the PTA, about the school’s recycling program, so they can participate as well, and not contaminate the school's recycling.

Reducing the amount of waste generated in the first place is the preferred way of managing our waste stream. In fact, Montgomery County has a goal to reduce waste and recycle more, aiming for Zero Waste. Here are some ways students and staff can reduce waste at school:

• Encourage students to use both sides of writing paper, whenever possible.
• If more than one child attends a school, send home general information with only the oldest child, to avoid duplication.
• Route or post internal staff communications. When practical, use half sheets of paper for memos. Utilize e-mail as much as possible.
• Make double-sided copies. Provide scrap paper near the copier so that people can retrieve paper and copy onto the other side.
• Collect usable items such as pens, pencils, crayons, rulers, binders and unused notebooks at the end of the school year and pass them out or provide to teachers for their classrooms at the beginning of the following school year. Enlist the school’s green team or sustainability club to lead the effort, catalog what is collected and circulate that information in the school newsletter.
• To reduce edible food waste, set aside any unopen edible food from breakfast or lunch (such as granola bars or bananas) and provide to an after-school club or sports team.

Lunchroom waste creates a problem, because much of the packaging brought from home is difficult to recycle. Fortunately, it is possible to avoid producing this waste in the first place, by packaging a “Zero Waste Lunch.”

The theory behind the Zero Waste Lunch is to avoid the generation of waste from lunches by eliminating the packaging that creates waste. Zero Waste Lunches require a little extra thought when packing but create considerably less waste and reduce costs in the long run.

Schools can incorporate the concept of a Zero Waste Lunch in economics, science and environmental curricula. Students can sponsor competitions based on which class can produce the least amount of waste from lunches per student. Students also could weigh the garbage from the cafeteria, and post and regularly update a wall graph demonstrating their success in reducing waste. Schools can also sell Zero Waste Lunch kits, including a durable bag, thermos and durable sandwich and snack containers, as a fundraiser.

Some suggestions,

• Pack lunches in reusable and washable lunch boxes or reusable lunch bags.
• Pack items prepared at home, such as sandwiches, in reusable plastic food containers.
• Use reusable and washable flatware and cloth napkins.
• Buy foods in bulk and repackage for lunch in reusable food containers. Avoid single-use prepackaged foods, which produce more waste and are more expensive.
• Pack soft and liquid foods in durable reusable containers and use thermoses or reusable beverage bottles for drinks.

Encourage staff to bring coffee mugs from home and reuse them, rather than use disposable cups.

Reuse art supplies such as construction paper.

Use refillable pencils and refillable ink pens.

Recycle mixed paper (manila envelopes, printer, copier and writing paper, paper bags, construction paper, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, cardboard boxes, unwanted mail, and other art paper with ink). Place recycling bins in the library, in each classroom and office, in the teachers' lounge, and next to copier machines and printers.

Recycle commingled materials (aluminum cans and foil products, steel and tin cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, jars, and containers) in teachers' lounges and cafeterias. Recycling bins need to be located next to any vending machine that dispenses products in recyclable packaging.

Recycle all commingled containers generated by food service and in the cafeteria.

Start a food scraps recycling program. Watch our  Commercial Food Scraps Recycling video (also available in  Spanish) to learn how to set-up a commercial food scraps recycling program at your school.

Close the recycling loop by purchasing recycled products. The easiest and most widely available recycled products that schools use are recycled copier paper, hand towels and toilet tissue.

Purchase goods which are sold in school stores and for fundraisers, such as rulers, clipboards, stadium cups, and other items, that are made from recycled post-consumer materials.

Let us know how you are doing! If you have a concern or issue you wish to discuss, or a success story you want to share,  contact the SORRT Program.