Green Up Our Schools!
National Elementary School Waste Reduction & Recycling Program
Change your school, change the world!
Green Valley’s Waste Assessment
Step 1 -- Source Separation
A representative from Green Up Our Schools and student volunteers sorted lunchroom trash as it was thrown away into four different bins:
·
Milk cartons, cans & bottles
Food & liquid
Compostable paper (napkins and paper boats served in the cafeteria)
All other trash (plastic bags, foil-lined paper, non-recyclable plastic cups, etc.)
Back to Green Valley’s Page
One day in the lunchroom produced 130 lbs. of food waste alone!
Step 2 -- Weigh it!All of the trash from the lunchroom and kitchen was weighed, in addition to the trash collected the night before from the classrooms, offices, and bathrooms.
The Results:Green Valley learned that 60% of their classroom trash is actually recyclable -- that’s equal to 207 pounds a week!
Step 3 -- Sort it out
One of the classroom bags was opened and sorted into two categories:
recyclables - classroom/office paper, cardboard, cans, bottles, etc.
non-recyclables - all other trash such as paper towels, plastic bags, etc.
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