Green Up Our Schools

Montclair Elementary

Green Up Our Schools member since 2012

During the 3 years of the program, each school creates their own "green" plan to recycle more and waste less.


Waste Reduction Projects Each school must complete a minimum of two waste reduction projects per year. Click on each title to view a more detailed description.

Year 1
Commercial Composting Commercial composting is a service provided to the school by an outside company, similar to recycling. Hundreds of pounds of food & paper waste are hauled to a facility that processes it back into soil. The weekly collection system can handle the full volume of organic waste that comes out of the lunchroom, bathrooms, and classrooms. (Learn more.)	2012-2013
Electronic Communication between Parents, Faculty Teachers will collect parent email addresses and work to use electronic communication in place of paper. (Learn more.)	2012-2013
Year 2
Scratch Paper Reuse Boxes Scratch paper reuse boxes are for paper that had only been used on one side. Placed in every classroom, they help promote paper conservation and save costs for the school. (Learn more.)	2013-2014
Double-Sided Copying Campaign A Double-Sided Copying Campaign emphasizes the importance of conserving paper by printing on both sides of the page whenever possible. Students create an education campaign and track actual paper usage. (Learn more.)	2013-2014
Year 3
Zero Waste Classroom Party Kits A Zero Waste Classroom Party Kit is a set of reusable dishes designed to eliminate the need for disposable plates, cups, and utensils during class festivities. (Learn more.)	2014-2015
Reusable Silverware in the Lunchroom Plan to replace plastic utensils with reusable metal silverware to eliminate the amount of waste created in the lunchroom each day. (Learn more.)	2014-2015

Waste Assessment Results

Every school in the program performs at least one waste assessment every year. This activity helps to show progress made and areas that still need improvement.

Percentage of Trash categorized as Recyclable
(Lower is better!)*

50%

2012
(Fall)

Year

*The presence of recyclable materials in the trash means students & teachers are not correctly sorting items they throw away. The lower the percentage, the more successful the recycling program.


Back to All Schools

We started with one thing back in 2009: recycling. Then it evolved into so much more. The program is flexible enough to let us expand wherever we wanted to go. Now look at us -- we're composting in the lunchroom and the bathrooms, and our bins are overflowing!