First, find out what teachers from your school are working with the ZWS website. As a student, you cannot start posting until a teacher from your school approves you as a user.

Not sure if you know a teacher who can approve you? Start asking adults at your schools about who can help! Good people to ask are the Principal, Sustainability Coordinator, or a science teacher.

All DOE schools can participate in ZWS website and contests. We encourage all DOE schools to participate in this website and contests.

The Clean and Green Schools Awards offer an opportunity for students to earn prizes and cash awards for their school by posting pictures and videos relating to their sustainability and zero waste efforts! In short, by sharing the great work you are doing to help your school go zero waste, you can get cool gear and earn awards for your school.

The contests are managed by the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in conjunction with The Department of Education (DOE) and their partner, GrowNYC Zero Waste Schools Program. They offer a platform to engage NYC School students and teachers on zero waste and sustainability.

The goal of the Clean and Green Schools Awards is to further NYC’s goal of improving diversion of recyclable and compostable waste in NYC Schools. By engaging students in an interactive and safe social media forum, students will learn from their peers’ sustainability efforts and think about their own behaviors at school and at home.

A student alone cannot sign up for a contest. An adult (teacher or administrator) from the school must enroll the WHOLE school in a contest. Then every time a student from that schools uses the contest hashtag, the whole school receives the points.

As a student, you can win t-shirts, reusable water bottles, and other prizes. By working with your fellow students, you can help your school win cash prizes.
For more information on any of the contests, visit the announcements page.

No. You do not need to be signed up for a contest to participate on the ZWS website, but you must have an account in order to post.

In Zero Waste Schools, zero waste is achieved when all recyclable and compostable waste is kept out of (diverted from) landfills.

Zero Waste Schools work towards achieving zero waste by:

• Reducing materials they use.
• Reusing materials instead of buying new materials.
• Recycling clean paper & cardboard, metal, glass, plastic, and cartons, and separating food scraps & food-soiled paper (organics) for composting.

What can you RECYCLE in NYC? Click: www.nyc.gov/zerowasteschools to find out more!

What can you COMPOST in NYC? Click: www.nyc.gov/compost to find out more!

All schools in New York City are working to be Zero Waste Schools! Just over 100 schools, in Brooklyn and Manhattan, are part of a special group of the first 100 Zero Waste Schools. These schools, with support from the Department of Education, GrowNYC Recycling Champions, and the Department of Sanitation, will serve as models for the rest of the City as ALL schools work to achieve zero waste.

The benefits of Zero Waste Schools are:

• Recycling organics, clean paper & cardboard, and metal, glass, plastic & cartons, reducing the material sent to landfills.
• Using latched containers to store organic waste reduces rodent populations and keeps schools and sidewalks clean.
• Organics waste can be turned into compost, a natural soil amendment, as well as renewable energy.
• Zero Waste Schools provide an opportunity for hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

All DOE schools can participate in ZWS website and contests. We encourage all DOE schools to participate in this website and contests.