Waste Prevention at School

With more than one million students, teachers, and administrators, New York City schools produce hundreds of thousands of tons of solid waste every year. There are many ways to reduce the amount of waste generated at your school. Think about how you, your friends, and family can help your school to help the environment.

Recycling is mandatory for schools in NYC — see information about recycling in schools.

Schools in NYC can win cash prizes for their recycling, waste prevention, and clean-up programs. See Golden Apple Awards contest information for details.

Follow these tips to reduce and reuse at school:

Reduce waste at lunch
Reduce paper waste
Schedule an exchange or rummage sale
Start a worm compost bin
Conduct a waste audit
Resources for schools

Reduce waste at lunch

One NYC school that participated in an NYC Department of Sanitation waste prevention assessment found that they generated half a pound of food waste per person every day!

Pack a lunch that leaves no waste behind:

• Use a lunch box or reusable lunch bag.

• Pack your sandwich or salad in a reusable container.

• Pour your drink into a reusable thermos. Buying beverages in larger containers saves money, too!

• Avoid pre-assembled lunch kits with excess packaging you just throw away.

• Bring your own reusable utensils and a cloth napkin that can be washed and used again.

• Try to pack only as much food as you will really eat.

If you buy lunch in the school cafeteria:

• Take only what you need so you don’t end up throwing away food or extra condiments.

• Encourage your friends to reduce lunchroom waste as well.

• Don’t forget to recycle.

To learn more about creating less waste at lunch, visit Waste-Free Lunches.

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Reduce paper waste

In one NYC school, the paper discarded during the school year added up to 28 pounds for each student, teacher, and staff member.

• Create a paper reuse center in your classroom. Ask everyone to put paper that has only been used on one side into a container. Reuse this paper for calculations or drafts, or use it to make pads for taking notes.

• Encourage other classes and the school office to start paper reuse centers, too.

• Ask your teachers if you can hand in homework on the back of used paper, such as notices from school or old letterhead.

• If you work on a computer, spellcheck your work on the screen before printing it out, and print double-sided.

• Find out from your teacher if you can e-mail your homework.

• Talk to your teacher and office staff about making double-sided copies for handouts.

• Don’t forget to recycle used paper and paper products, like cardboard boxes.

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Schedule an exchange or rummage sale

Wouldn’t you like an opportunity to trade books, CDs, videos, or computer games with your fellow students? Why not schedule an exchange or second-hand swap so that the things you’ve outgrown or no longer want — like sporting goods, books, or clothes — can be used by someone else?

Maybe you can get your school’s Parent Teacher Association or science club to help coordinate the event. By reusing these items, you’ll reduce waste and increase fun. If your event produces a profit, you can use the money for a school trip to the Botanical Garden or a special environmental project.

Unwanted second-hand items in good condition can also be donated to organizations such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries. Visit NYC Stuff Exchange to find where to donate stuff in your neighborhood.

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Start a worm compost bin

Talk with your science teacher about setting up a worm compost bin. You can watch the worms recycle food scraps from school lunches and other organic material, like leaves or plant clippings, into nutrient-rich compost. Then you can use the compost to improve the soil on your school grounds or to grow plants in the classroom.

Setting up a worm bin is easy. All you need is a plastic box, damp newspaper strips, some food waste, and common red worms. The worms are shy. They like to work in a dark, warm, moist, well-ventilated container.

By worm composting, you can study the food chain, watch the worms at work, track the amount of waste you’ve prevented, and create compost for your garden and houseplants. Visit the NYC Compost Project for more ideas and resources for you and your worms.

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Conduct a waste audit

Wonder how much waste your classroom, grade, or school actually produces in a week?

Work with your teachers and custodians to plan a school waste audit. At the end of each school day, weigh the waste in each classroom and office. How much of the waste is composed of reusable paper or items that can be placed in a recycling bin? Ask the custodians to weigh the waste from the cafeteria. How much is food? Are all the milk cartons and juice boxes being recycled? What about foil?

Use the results to plan a waste reduction campaign for your school.

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