"Innovations" Case Studies: School Recycling

Collection

• Food and Organic Wastes
• Composition of a Typical School Waste Stream
• Paper Wastes
• Beverage Containers

The decision regarding which materials to collect will depend on the markets that can be developed. In a typical school waste stream (see graph below) paper and organics make up close to 80 percent of the material generated. These typically have well-developed markets. Plan to collect materials for items easily marketable first, then develop recycling programs for other materials when markets become available.

Food and Organic Wastes

Food and organic wastes are a significant portion of a school’s waste stream and present special collection concerns. The active support and involvement of custodial and kitchen staff is critical for these materials. Below are some options for handling this waste stream:

• Excess prepared food that has not reached the students can be donated to local shelters or food assistance programs located in most communities.
• Food waste collected in the cafeteria in bins can be used as feed for a local farm with hogs or other animals (hog farms must be certified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to take food waste).
• Vermicomposting (using worms to compost) can be an excellent way to process non-dairy or meatless food waste on-site as well as provide students with hands-on science.
• Yard clippings and other landscape operations can be composted on-site or at a central facility.
• Grasscycling is an option that maintenance staff can implement that will reduce waste generation and save staff time and school funds in the course of normal operations.

Composition of Typical School Waste Stream

(Source: City of Los Angeles.)

Back to Top

Cafeteria operations can be adapted to facilitate recycling by using separate receptacles for the following items:

• Food
• Paper
• Plastics
• Beverage redemption containers
• Trash

Typically, combinations of materials are collected, such as food and paper, beverage containers, and trash. Steps to minimize cross-contamination include educating students and staff and clearly posting what goes into each container.

The Burbank Unified School District and the City of Burbank implemented the “Waste-Less Lunch.” As part of this pilot program, students sorted their lunch waste along a 12-foot counter into compostables (food and napkins), recyclables (bottles, cans, milk cartons, trays, and utensils) and landfill materials (straws, plastic wrap, food bags).

The program was designed by Kreigh Hampel and was made possible by a $2,000 grant to the Burbank Recycle Center from the League of California Cities and the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). The program demonstrated an overall lunch waste reduction potential of 85 percent, including 72 percent compostables, 13 percent recyclables, and 15 percent landfill material.

The school discontinued the program, however, because it slowed the cleanup process. It also required too much participation by students to reduce contamination by carefully sorting their lunch in the time their lunch period allowed.

Paper Wastes

Paper waste is one of the largest components of school waste streams. Most collection efforts focus on mixed-paper collection, including newspaper, cardboard, and office paper. Collection efforts typically use smaller bins in classrooms to make recycling convenient for students and faculty. The students, faculty, or staff can transfer the materials to larger bins. The picture below illustrates how students reduced cafeteria waste by 85 percent through Burbank’s “Waste-Less Lunch” pilot program. (Source: Bonnie Burrow, City of Burbank).

The City of Santa Monica started a joint program with local schools to address paper recycling. The city provides free 14-gallon collection boxes for all classrooms and administrative offices and 3-cubic-yard centralized bins that are serviced on a regular basis. The program is made available to all the local schools, public and private, including 1 junior college, 5 high schools, and 20 middle and elementary schools. Students work with the program staff to help monitor collection and keep track of the bins.

Beverage Containers

Although beverage containers are a small part of the total waste stream, they can make up a larger portion of a school’s waste stream. Furthermore, containers collected under the programs of the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986 (the Bottle Bill, established by AB 2020, Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1989, and amended by subsequent recycling legislation) can become a significant source of revenue.

Oak Grove Elementary School in Sonoma County has taken the step of providing a public drop-off program for beverage containers and other recyclables at the school. This provides a convenient opportunity for families to recycle and generates additional revenue for the school.

Back to Top | Innovations Home | Next Section

Last updated: October 26, 2007