That’s a Wrap on Another Successful Eco-Cycle Schools Locker Leftovers and Classroom Cleanout!
At the end of each school year, students pack up their backpacks and clean out their lockers, ready to welcome the summer break, but often that means an overwhelming amount of school supplies are left behind. These usable or recyclable materials could easily end up in the landfill—even items that have never been opened. Eco-Cycle’s Schools team is helping students at local schools save usable supplies . . . and now, families can use our new, FREE digital resources available in English and Spanish to figure out what school supplies go where.
Eco-Cycle’s Locker Leftovers and Classroom Cleanout events are an annual tradition in Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and St. Vrain Valley Schools (SVVSD) in Colorado. This year, the Eco-Cycle Schools team led Locker Leftovers events at seven middle and high schools, and collected classroom cleanouts from two elementary schools. These initiatives give students and staff the opportunity to participate in hands-on sustainability by sorting through items that can be reused, donated, or properly recycled.
Reducing School Supply Waste: Locker Leftovers and Classroom Cleanouts
Eco-Cycle Schools staff helped students and teachers sort their materials during the final weeks of school. Recyclable paper, worn notebooks, broken pens, and empty glue sticks were separated from items that could be reused, such as gently used folders, binders, unused pencils, and art supplies. The goal? Prevent perfectly good supplies from being tossed simply because the school year has ended.
Once all the materials were collected, the Eco-Cycle team rolled up their sleeves and began the next phase—sorting and organizing. Items were carefully evaluated, with high-quality, reusable materials set aside for donation. In total, 30 boxes of school supplies were rescued and redistributed to six schools across the BVSD and St. Vrain Valley districts. These supplies will be used by students and teachers in the coming academic year, reducing the need for new purchases and supporting a circular, community-centered economy.
Without programs like this, these school supplies would likely have gone straight to the landfill! Instead, thanks to the efforts of schools staff and students, with Eco-Cycle support, the items will find their way back into classrooms as well as other reuse and recycling outlets, helping students learn while reinforcing the value of sustainability in action.
What Families Can Do with Extra School Supplies
The work doesn’t end when school does. Parents and caregivers, if your student came home with a backpack full of half-used notebooks, random markers, or mystery art supplies, you’re not alone. Many families find themselves wondering what to do with leftover school items. Luckily, the Eco-Cycle Schools team has created a helpful bilingual resource to guide you through your own cleanout. Our End-of-School-Year Cleanout guide (y en español!) offers tips for reducing waste, reusing supplies, and recycling right—for example, did you know that in Boulder County, you don’t need to remove the spiral from a notebook to recycle it in your curbside bin?
Get more tips in our End-of-School-Year Cleanout Guide!
This resource can help your family make thoughtful decisions about what to keep, donate, or recycle, supporting a more sustainable summer and an even greener start to the fall semester.
Happy summer from Eco-Cycle—let’s keep working together to build a Zero Waste future, one backpack or locker at a time!
