Waste Diversion and Reduction Resources for Schools

Waste Diversion Clubs, Teams, and Monitors

Green Teams:

Student Diversion Monitors

Waste Audits

 

Recycling Summer and Winter Break Classroom Cleanouts

Students and teachers accumulate A LOT of paper and other donatable, reusable, or recyclable items every year. An important part of reducing waste at your school is to host a winter break and summer break school recycling cleanout. Find tips for planning your cleanout and an instructional “School Cleanout Recycling Directory” below.

  1. Organize your cleanout date: the best times to do a school-wide recycling cleanout is just before winter and summer breaks.
  2. Donate: add to the giant pile of unclaimed lost-and-found items by collecting other items of clothing from students and teachers for donation during your school cleanout. After offering these items for reuse at school, choose a local clothing donation organization.
  3. Focus on paper: Paper is by far the most common item recycled during cleanouts. Schedule cleanouts systematically by classroom or grade and make sure purple recycling carts are placed in areas that can be easily accessed by students and teachers during their cleanout time.
  4. Expand on reuse: Find a central location at school where useful items can be collected for reuse, like classroom supplies or even larger classroom items like rugs, lamps, decorations, and furniture.

Tips for Success:

  • KEEP IT SIMPLE! Focus on paper first. Think about the easiest way for students to get all their paper waste to the purple carts. Student cleanout coordinators are a great asset to help move carts around and help organize the recycling.  
  • Use school-wide announcements and flyers to inform everyone about the cleanout in advance.
  • Instruct all classroom teachers to announce the cleanout day and time to their students.
  • Only donate items to outside organizations that are in good condition and are reusable.
  • Enlist parent volunteers or student leaders to act as sorting station captains during the cleanout and answer recycling questions. 
  • When in doubt about whether something can be recycled in your school’s purple carts, refer to the School Cleanout Recycling Directory or put it in the trash to ensure the “wrong things” don’t contaminate the recycling.

Check out the Cleanout Resources from all over the United States.(PDF, 118KB)

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