Zero Waste Schools: Turning Daily Habits into Climate Solutions
With a new school year on the horizon, we have a fresh opportunity to teach something lasting: how the small choices students make each day can ripple out into a more sustainable, climate-conscious world.
Schools are more than classrooms—they’re where lifelong habits take shape! That’s why Eco-Cycle’s environmental educators are heading back into the school year with renewed energy. Our School Recycling and Environmental Education Program helps students sort waste, recycle, and explore conservation through hands-on classroom lessons. The small, daily choices students learn to make—like what they do with a banana peel or juice box—can ripple out to homes, neighborhoods, and communities.
Environmental Education: The Numbers Add Up
Eco-Cycle is helping schools in Boulder Valley, as well as St. Vrain Valley and Adams 12 Five Star School Districts make a big environmental impact through education and everyday actions. During the 2024–25 school year, we:
- Reached 29,466 participants during 1,268 presentations and field trips.
- Delivered 174 presentations to Title 1 schools and 118 presentations in Spanish or bilingual format.
- Redistributed 4,394 children’s books throughout Boulder, Broomfield, and Weld Counties, giving new life to beloved stories through the CHaRMed Books Program.
- Recycled 474,311 pounds of material across schools in the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD)—with even more impact coming from St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) and Adams 12 Five Star, data pending.
That’s hundreds of metric tons of CO₂ emissions avoided, thousands of gallons of water saved by students through daily Zero Waste hands-on practice!
- Scroll through the full 2024–2025 annual report for Eco-Cycle’s School Recycling and Education Program here!
Green Star Schools® Are Leading the Way
The Green Star Schools program builds on Eco-Cycle’s School Recycling and Environmental Education Program by going deeper—bringing composting to cafeterias, strengthening recycling systems, and finding creative ways to cut waste at every level.
This matters because the scale of school waste is staggering. Nationally, schools generate an estimated 530,000 tons of food waste each year—equal to 1.9 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions and nearly 21 billion gallons of wasted water.
Green Star Schools are setting a new standard. In the 2024–2025 school year alone, 68 schools (across three school districts), and 38,000 students and staff took part in the program, reaching waste diversion rates of up to 67%. Forty-three Green Star Schools in BVSD composted 222,515 lb of food scraps during the 2024–25 school year. (Data is not currently available for three mountain schools.) It’s a powerful example of how Zero Waste isn’t just something students learn about—it’s something they live, every day.
Free Zero Waste Tools for Schools
Looking to bring Zero Waste practices to your school community? Check out these free resources from Eco-Cycle:
- Seven Tips for Going Zero Waste This School Year
Quick, practical tips for students and families starting the year with sustainability in mind. - Celebrate More, Waste Less!
A guide to throwing school events that are festive and waste-free. - Zero Waste Schools Activity Guide
A flexible, downloadable toolkit packed with creative, low-cost activities on waste reduction, recycling, composting, and motivation strategies. Perfect for schools ready to launch or level up their Zero Waste efforts.
Want help getting started? Email [email protected]—our team is here to support you.
Why This Work Matters—to All of Us
When students practice waste reduction, recycling, and composting every day at school, those habits don’t stay in the classroom—they follow them home, influencing families and communities. And the biggest impact? They learn to think critically about what they use and why—lessons they carry with them into the world, whether they’re headed for science labs, city halls, or back to the classroom to lead future generations of environmental stewards.
