How to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in Schools

Reducing, reusing, and recycling at school instills positive habits.

One way of teaching children how to be environmentally friendly is to display environmental friendliness in schools on a routine basis. By integrating a system of reducing, reusing and recycling into the school's daily functions, students can learn to make green practices a habit. Reducing, reusing and recycling can be implemented at all levels of the school system by school board members, school administrators and teachers. Aside from protecting the environment, reducing, reusing and recycling can cut a school's material expenses.

Instructions

1. Set up a compost bucket in the school cafeteria for students to put in their compostable leftovers. Work with the school gardener or landscaping staff to set up a composting system so that the students' compost can be used to nourish soil on the school grounds.

2. Set up a food scraps bucket for non-compostable leftovers on a scale in the school cafeteria. Explain to the students that if the bucket reaches a certain weight, it means the portion sizes for school lunches and home-packed lunches should decrease. Explain to the students and kitchen staff that they can work together to reduce food waste.

3. Reuse the backs of worksheets and large paper scraps as scratch paper for kids to use for class assignments. Encourage the students to find a piece paper from the scratch paper box instead of using a new sheet from their binders. Explain that it is more important to cutback on wasteful paper habits than have a perfect sheet of paper for notes.

4. Encourage students to bring in their own reusable water bottles to school rather than juice boxes or cans of soda. This saves on unnecessary packaging waste. Ask the school district for funds to supply students with water bottles, or hold a fundraiser to raise money for the cause.

5. Place segmented recycling bins in each classroom so that paper, plastic, cans, and glass can be recycled separately. Encourage the students to take part in the recycling process by assigning the recycling bin emptying task to a different kid each week. This will take some of the burden off of school janitors and teach students to take an active role in the recycling system.

6. Send parent information such as newsletters, event reminders, and report cards through email rather than on paper. As long as parents are encouraged to check their email frequently, it is far less wasteful to send information electronically than on paper.

References

• Environmental Protection Agency: Tools to Reduce Waste in Schools
• NIEHS: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• LA County Department of Public Works: Top 10 Ways To Reduce Waste

Resources

• Reduce.org: Creating Less Trash At School