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In 1994, the CIWMB initiated a project to determine the types of
waste reduction efforts being implemented in California
schools to develop model programs to share with school districts
throughout the for the state. Waste reduction includes both waste
prevention and recycling and is intended to conserve resources, promote
efficiency and reduce pollution.
The CIWMB survey of K-12 schools revealed that quite a bit of waste prevention and
recycling activity was occurring, but such efforts were scattered.. There was little coordination and most efforts were not
comprehensive, but rather stimulated by a few thoughtful and
forward-looking individuals. If children are going to make a big impact
in the fight against unnecessary waste, entire school districts need to be involved.
The CIWMB selected a variety of school districts throughout the
state to serve as pilot programs to quantify benefits in terms of reducing
waste flows to local landfills and saving schools money. To give you an
idea of the waste prevention techniques schools are implementing, here are a
few success stories:
- Oak Hills Elementary School in Ventura County set a goal of
zero waste generation, also focusing on lunch and snack activities,
and modeled after a program being carried out at all six schools
located within the Sacramento area's Oak Park Unified School District.
Here are the fundamentals of the program: student lunches and snacks
only use reusable containers; no paper napkins or nonreusable
packaging are allowed; all drinks must be in reusable or recyclable
containers (no glass); nothing is thrown away. The 500 students only fill one 55-gallon can of trash during lunch. Previously, the
same students filled eight of these cans.
- The Palo Verde Unified School District, a rural district
located in the Mojave Desert, has joined the City of Blythe, a
prison, and a waste hauler to divert over 3 tons of milk and
juice boxes and more than 40 cubic yards of cardboard from local
landfills. All the proceeds from recycled cardboard sales go to
fund the prison, where laborer sort and bale the material for reuse.
- The Laytonville Unified School District in Mendocino County
discovered that worms can be enlisted in the fight to curb waste.
In 1993, 14,000 pounds of waste were diverted through composting and recycling efforts. Lunch waste, including
nonprotein food waste and paper bags, is taken to worm bins in
the school garden. The worms, and other waste reduction activities, reduced the school's garbage by 60 to 80 percent.
Based upon these, and other success stories, the CIWMB developed
two guides to help school districts reduce waste and save money. Seeing Green
Through Waste Prevention provides valuable insights to performing
waste composition surveys, waste prevention activities, and cost analysis
procedures to help set up a comprehensive waste reduction program.
A
District-Wide Approach to Recycling includes case studies that
document the economic benefits of district-wide programs and detailed information on how to promote district-wide recycling. Both guides can be ordered
from the CIWMB online publications catalog (use links above) or by calling the
CIWMB Office of Local Assistance at (916) 341-6199.
Please see the following pages for additional examples of successful
programs:
Additional Resources
"Innovations" Case Studies
In March 2000, the Board presented the
Innovations video conference
to showcase successful recycling and waste reduction programs developed by
local and regional jurisdictions to achieve California's 50 percent waste
diversion goals. The programs featured in the videoconference were
reviewed and analyzed, and 24 studies were prepared to highlight
successful model programs in reuse, recycling, composting, and other areas
of waste management. These programs can be examples for other cities,
counties, and regional agencies in California, as well as other states,
provinces, or countries. Some of these case studies highlighted
successful school recycling
programs.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Solid
Waste
The EPA provides information on K-12 programs involving the “service
learning” concept. The “Service
Learning: Beyond the Classroom” booklet describes how students across
the country gain hands-on awareness of waste reduction, recycling,
and composting, through solid waste service-learning projects.
Service-learning, an educational experience that combines knowledge with
service and personal reflection, is teaching kindergarten through
12th-grade students various aspects of safe solid waste management, such
as reducing household hazardous waste and buying recycled-content
products. This booklet contains 19 profiles of school-based and community
projects organized by grade level. Contacts and additional resources provide information on how to start a solid waste
service-learning program.
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