Global Environment - Get Involved - less trash at school

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Global Environment.com	Creating less trash at school There are lots of ways that we can reduce waste at school. By thinking ahead and being creative, you can reduce your impact on the environment and save money at the same time. A "no-waste" lunch Take what you'll eat Carry reusable's Use less paper "Junk mail" Sell and shop "used" Get informed Pack a no-waste lunch A "no-waste lunch" is a meal that does not end up in the trash. You can buy food items in bulk then put them in reusable containers to carry to school. Example: Use a reusable lunch box or bag and fill it with your lunch in reusable containers. You could also include a cloth napkin – don't forget to bring it home so you can wash it and use it again. Another idea is to ask your school cafeteria to use items such as reusable trays, napkins and silverware. Benefits: You create less waste by using washable containers to pack your lunch. Packing your food in reusable lunch boxes is typically less expensive than buying food that comes in disposable containers. Take only as much food as you will eat More than 20 percent of the food we buy gets thrown away. One way to figure out how much food you waste is to measure and track all the food you throw away from your lunch over a fixed period of time. Then you could brainstorm ways to reduce how much food you are throwing in the garbage. Example: If you are bringing lunch from home, you can use an icepack so that it stays fresh until it is eaten. If you buy from the school cafeteria, only take a small portion of food; if you're still hungry, go back for seconds! Benefits: By taking only what you can eat or sharing your extras with a friend, you are taking steps to waste less and save money.



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Top		Carry a few reusable's At the beginning of each school year, it seems like we need to buy lots of supplies. When you go to the store, look for durable, long-lasting supplies and reuse them.

		Example: Refillable pens and pencils, a durable backpack and a lunchbox are all great examples of products that can be used over and over again. Benefits: Items that can be used more than once will reduce waste. If you take care of them, they will last a long time — and maybe you won't have to buy new ones the next year!
Top	Use less paper Even though we recycle much of the paper we use, it is still a significant part of what we throw in the trash. Think about all of the paper you've thrown away that only had writing on one side. Those pieces of paper could have been used a second time, potentially cutting your paper use in half. Also, by buying paper and notebooks that contain recycled paper, you complete the recycling loop and create less waste. Example: Make room in your classroom or at home to put paper that has only been used on one side. Use that paper for notes, or feed the blank side into your printer for draft documents. You can also make scratch pads out of that single-sided paper by binding one side. Can you "go paperless?" Ask your teacher if you can hand in assignments on a computer disk or via e-mail instead. Benefits: Because paper and packaging make up such a large part of our garbage, by using less paper you can reduce up to 40 percent of the trash that is thrown away.

Top	Conduct a junk mail campaign Another large source of paper that is thrown away every day is mail that's unsolicited and unwanted — "junk mail." You can help your school office collect unwanted mail and contact the companies to get off their lists. Example: Make this into a project by measuring how much unsolicited mail your school receives in a week. Tear off the mailing labels and send them back to the mailer along with a note saying, "Please take us off your list." After a few months, measure the unsolicited mail again. You can then determine how much waste has been eliminated; think about the staff time saved by not having to go through all of that unwanted mail. Benefits: Decreasing junk mail not only saves paper and reduces paper waste — it also takes less time to sort and deliver the mail each day.

	Organize a school-wide rummage sale Rummage sales are a great way to pass along items that you no longer want to someone who might need them. Instead of throwing your unwanted items away, they will be put to good use. Example: Plan a class or school-wide rummage sale with your teacher. Collect donations for the sale. Sell used items such as clothes, furniture and sporting goods at an end-of-the-year sale. Benefits: Buying used items is not only cheaper, but someone else's trash might be your treasure!
Top	Get informed and become more aware Talk to your teacher about starting or joining an environmental group at school or look for ways to increase your awareness of natural surroundings and environmental issues. Example: Set up a school waste reduction campaign with your environmental club. You could turn visits to nature areas and parks into service learning class projects. Benefits: Being informed about environmental issues will give you the knowledge to help yourself and others become environmentally friendly. Connecting your activities with nature helps to increase appreciation and gives extra motivation to take actions to preserve and protect it.

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