Managing Waste at Schools

Schools that are able to reduce their waste have a tremendous impact on our landfills. According to the EPA, some of what ends up in a landfill is comprised of 21% of food, 14% paper/cardboard, 10% rubber/leather/textiles, and 18% plastics. This means that 63% of materials that enter a landfill could easily be recycled or composted. When things are correctly sorted, we could potentially divert more than half of what ends up in a landfill. In addition to starting a recycling initiative, education on what can and cannot be recycled is even more important. While schools increase recycling efforts, making conscious efforts to minimize non-recyclable waste is also important. Becoming an informed consumer by shopping a certain way and purchasing better items also results in less waste. This module begins with how to recycle, why composting can help reduce a school’s waste, and how analyzing various methods of waste can lead to more conscious decision on how to manage waste at schools.