One of the most effective ways to reduce the mounds of trash generated in California every single day is to educate kids about the value of waste prevention. Children soon discover that saving our environment can be fun and rewarding and can generate more than a few nickels and dimes.
Not only do such efforts help local governments meet waste diversion goals, but our schools represent the best opportunity to make lasting changes in individual habits and our "throw away" culture. Educating the next generation of parents and adults about simple waste prevention can make the job of reducing garbage in the waste stream far easier in the future.
One of the most preventable sources of waste at schools occurs in the classroom. The large volume of paper used by the more than 5.2 million public school children in California can significantly contribute to the waste stream. Simple practices of waste prevention, however, can bring these volumes down considerably. For example, students should be encouraged to submit homework on the back side of used paper. Handouts should be printed on both sides, and teachers can maximize the use of overhead projectors and the blackboards to minimize the use of xeroxed information. Through simple practices of waste prevention, students are learning about resource conservation, AND are practicing what they learn by participating in a simple, but effective, waster reduction program.
What are other, less noticeable sources of waste generated at school-sites? What can schools do to reduce the generation of these materials?
In 1994, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) launched an investigation to find out what was going on in California schools in order to develop model programs for the entire state. The CIWMB survey of K-12 schools revealed that quite a bit of prevention and recycling activity was occurring, but such efforts were scattered here and there. There was little coordination and most efforts were not comprehensive, but rather stimulated by a few thoughtful and forward-looking individuals. If children were going to make a big impact in the fight against unnecessary waste, however, entire school districts would have to be involved.
The CIWMB then selected a variety of school districts throughout the state to serve as pilot programs to quantify benefits in terms of reducing waste flows to local landfills and saving schools money. To give you an idea of waste prevention techniques schools are implementing, here are a few waste prevention success stories: The Richmond School District, which educates 31,000 kids in Contra Costa County near Oakland, saved $30,000 in waste hauler fees because of reduced garbage volumes in cafeterias. Student "Green Teams" monitoring the collection of recyclables at lunch has reduced lunch waste by 75 percent! Oak Hills Elementary School in Ventura County has set a goal of zero waste generation, also focusing on lunch and snack activities, and modeled after a program being carried out at all six schools located within the Sacramento area's Oak Park Unified School District. Here are the fundamental rules of the program: student lunches and snacks only use reusable containers; no paper napkins or nonreusable packaging are allowed; all drinks must be in reusable or recyclable containers (no glass); nothing is thrown away. The five hundred students now only fill one 55-gallon can of trash during lunch. Previously, the same students filled eight of these cans. The rural Palo Verde Unified School District, located in the Mojave Desert, has joined up with the City of Blythe, a prison and a waste hauler to divert well over three tons of milk and juice boxes and more than forty cubic yards of cardboard from local landfills. All the proceeds from sales of recycled cardboard goes to fund the prison, where laborers sort and bale the material for reuse. The Laytonville Unified School District in Mendocino County has discovered that worms can be enlisted in the fight to curb waste. In 1993, the school district diverted 14,000 pounds of waste through its composting and recycling efforts. Lunch waste, including nonprotein food waste and paper bags, is taken to worm bins located in the school garden. The worms, and other waste reduction activities, have reduced the school's garbage by 60 to 80 percent.
Based upon these, and other success stories, the CIWMB has developed two guides to help schools reduce waste and save money. Seeing Green Through Waste Prevention provides valuable insights in how to perform waste composition surveys, waste prevention activities and cost analysis procedures to help set up a comprehensive waste reduction program. A Districtwide Approach to Recycling includes case studies that document the economic benefits of districtwide programs and provides detailed information on how to promote district-wide recycling.
Author: Lee Young
Author Bio:
Maybe you don't have time to thumb through the quarterly catalog, which could be a great read with your morning coffee. If not, try CALMAX On-Line . Want to put a free ad in the CALMAX catalog, get on the mailing list or learn more? Call the California Integrated Waste Management Board at (916) 341-6603 or write the board at 1001 I Street, PO Box 4025, Sacramento, CA 95812-4025.
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