Drink! Empty! Recycle
School Cartons!
Getting Started with School Carton Recycling
Adding Schools to the Equation
 If you can recycle cartons at home, you can recycle
cartons at school.
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2
Why Schools?
• Schools generate large amounts of solid
waste every day
o 2lbs of solid waste per student
o Most waste can be diverted from landfill
• Increasing costs are a burden to schools
o Recycling reduces waste hauling costs
• Recycling programs teach students valuable
lessons
» Demonstrates environmental stewardship
» Encourages students to engage in their own
community recycling programs
Doing the Math
Implementing School
Recycling Programs
5
Do your detective work!
 Is carton recycling
available in your area?
 Gaining support and
approval
 Adding cartons to your
services
Is carton recycling available?
Visit
www.recyclecartons.com
Gain Approval and Support
 Top level support first
o Key administrators and staff
 Work with all key staffing levels within
school
o Teachers, custodians, cafeteria staff and
volunteers
Collection of Cartons from Schools
 Current vendor and contract terms
 Adding cartons to the mix
 Collection arrangements and details
Setting up a Successful Program
10
Setting up your program
 Recruit a committee
o From principal to custodian and everyone in
between—volunteers, students, teachers,
cafeteria staff
 Identify program, establish goals, estimate
impact
 Assess Resources
o What tools are necessary for the program?
o What is already available?
What Doesn’t Work
Wet and smelly cartons
What Does Work!
Dry Cartons
Setting Up Your Program


Set up stations for
easy access.
Remember:
o
o
o
Drink
Empty
Recycle
Setting up your program
 Empty!
 A successful
program is one
that has a bucket
or container for
students to empty
left-over milk
into.
Setting Up Your Program
Examples of the
“Empty” step.
Setting up your program
Recycle!
Cartons should be
collected loosely
in a recycling
container.
Setting Up Your Program
Keep empty cartons out of plastic bags.
Plastic bags trap moisture and lead to odor
issues, and ruins the valuable fiber in cartons
that recyclers want.
Launching Your Program
 Kick-Off Day
o Begin with announcement
reminding students to
recycle at lunchtime
o Have cafeteria staff give a
demonstration of the process
 One Week Later
o Meet with staff to
troubleshoot any issues that
arise
Sharing Your Success
 Create a testimony to showcase your success
in the community and inspire others to follow
your example
 Remember to report results to students and
staff—they want to know how they are doing!
 Don’t forget to tell us at Carton Council!
Tools
Custodial Best Practices Guide
Lunchroom Signage
Other: Grants
"I really feel recycling instills pride in
school...pride, partnership and
leadership. The kids get excited about
recycling and they want to make a
difference…Our goal is to recycle as
much as possible and adding cartons to
our recycling program helped us
accomplish that goal.”
Aaron Steinley
Principal, Hempfield Middle School
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Other: Contests
Milk and Juice Carton Recycling Contest
Charlotte Mecklenburg School District
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

Over 15,000 lbs of cartons recycled in 4 weeks!
Equal to almost 250,000 cartons.
Coincided with same dates as
RecycleBowl Competition
Registration for the 2013 competition opens in May at
Recycle-Bowl.org
Now accepting cartons!
Examples
27
Clayton Elementary School
Neenah School District, Wisconsin
"Think Outside the Can"
Ridgewood Middle School, Arnold, Missouri
Dixon Elementary School
Brookfield, WI
Los Angeles USD
Alameda Unified School District
Charlotte - Mecklenburg County
School District
E.P. Foster Elementary School
Ventura, CA
Rack Drying Method
Photo from: Gresham – Barlow School District
Contact Us!
Debbi Dodson
Carton Council Schools Recycling Coordinator – West Coast
[email protected]
(858) 272-6804
Barbara Heineken
Carton Council Schools Recycling Coordinator – East Coast
[email protected]
(813) 802-8036
General Inquiries
[email protected]
Follow Us!
@RecycleCartons
Facebook.com/RecycleCartons