Waste Reduction in Action: Building Lifelong Habits Through Eco-Cycle’s Green Star Schools Program
By focusing on the first of the 5 Rs of waste reduction (reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, and “rot”), Eco-Cycle empowers students to make sustainable choices with lasting impact.
At Eco-Cycle, we believe true sustainability begins with a mindset shift, rethinking how we use natural resources. Since 2005, our award-winning Green Star SchoolsⓇ Program—the first Zero Waste Schools program in the nation—helps schools reduce waste, conserve valuable resources, save money, and foster a culture of environmental stewardship that students, staff, and parents can carry with them for life.
Waste Reduction Up to 67%
In the face of an escalating waste crisis, the Green Star Schools Program provides hands-on, age-appropriate strategies to reduce waste and protect the environment. Participating schools are able to cut waste by up to 67%, embedding sustainable practices into everyday school life and creating lasting change beyond the classroom.
Here are a few ways Eco-Cycle is helping schools reduce waste:
Zero Waste Event Kits: Celebrate More, Waste Less
School celebrations often generate huge amounts of single-use waste, from plastic cups to paper plates. To tackle this challenge, Eco-Cycle created Zero Waste Reusable Event Kits for Schools—a solution supported by funding from Boulder County, the Town of Superior, and the City/County of Broomfield. These kits provide everything needed for a waste-free celebration, including reusable plates, cups, utensils, and napkins. After the event, parent volunteers wash and return the items. Since launching, Eco-Cycle has distributed 74 kits to schools, including four Title I schools, proving that sustainability and celebration can go hand in hand.
CHaRMed Books Program
What happens to gently used kids’ books taken to the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM)? Eco-Cycle’s CHaRMed Books Program ensures that these books get a second life in classrooms across Boulder County, bringing joy to newer readers. Books are carefully sorted by grade level and distributed to schools, focusing on those in under-resourced communities, through partnerships with family liaisons and teachers.
In the 2023–24 school year, Eco-Cycle redistributed over 4,600 books to 30 local schools in three school districts to promote literacy and sustainability while reducing waste.
Locker Leftovers
At the end of each school year, Eco-Cycle staff help students clean out their lockers and identify reusable school supplies. Reusable Items like notebooks, pens, binders, and more are sorted and saved for next school year, redistributed to other schools, or donated to local thrift stores. Items that can’t be reused are recycled responsibly, ensuring that less waste ends up in landfills. This initiative not only helps schools reduce waste but also fosters a sense of community and responsibility, teaching students the value of reusing what they already have.
The Bigger Picture
By embracing reuse, Eco-Cycle’s Green Star Schools Program is teaching the next generation about the power of reducing consumption, making sustainable choices, and minimizing waste. With each redistributed book, reused plate, and shared school supply, we’re encouraging students to make mindful, sustainable choices that will help them become environmental champions in their homes, communities, and beyond.
Want to see how your school can reduce waste and promote sustainability? Explore more of Eco-Cycle’s Green Star School waste reduction initiatives!
