Seven Tips for Going Zero Waste This School Year

Kids are back to school . . . and so is Eco-Cycle! We’re educating students and teachers about the importance of Zero Waste. Help your kids practice Zero Waste at home with these back-to-school tips!

For over three decades, we’ve partnered with Boulder, Broomfield, and Weld County public schools through our Schools Programs to support waste reduction and provide extensive environmental education. This education is amplified when sustainability practices are incorporated at home!

Here are 7 tips to help you reduce your family’s impact this fall:

Shop what you already have before buying new stuff.
Before filling your shopping cart with brand-new school supplies, figure out what you already own. Reuse is always the best option—plus you’ll save a few bucks! If you’ve been buying supplies for a few years, there’s a good chance you already have some of the stuff on the school supply list.

Host a supply swap.
If you still don’t have everything you need, host a party and swap some supplies. Double win: You can finally get rid of that drawer full of pencils you’ve been hanging on to!

Pack your lunch with reusables!
Food packaging is a significant source of waste in schools. To reduce your personal impact, replace single-use disposable items such as Ziploc–type sandwich bags, plastic straws, and juice pouches with reusable food containers, beverage bottles, cutlery, and lunch containers.

Buy snacks in bulk.
To reduce single-use disposable food packaging—such as single-serving chip bags—buy snacks in bulk and pack portions in reusable containers each day or during meal prep.

Reduce wasted food.
If your student eats a hot lunch at school, remind them to take only what they can eat, since they can always go back for more. Ask your student if they have a food share station at their school where they can share packaged food and uneaten whole fruit. Remind your student they can save uneaten snacks to eat after school.

Label everything.
Make sure your child’s name is visible on all of their stuff to avoid accidental loss. This includes clothes, jackets, reusable food containers (including the lids), backpacks, etc. The best way to reduce waste is to avoid buying new stuff, and keeping track of items is a great strategy.

Celebrate more, waste less!
Classroom celebrations are fun for everyone, but it’s an easy way to create a lot of waste, from non-recyclable plastic cups and utensils to plastic-coated paper plates. A surefire way to reduce party waste is to swap out single-use cutlery, plates, cups, and napkins for reusables. See our tips for Zero Waste school events here!

Thanks to funding from Boulder County, the Town of Superior, and the City/County of Broomfield, Eco-Cycle has launched our Zero Waste Reusable Event Kits for Schools! Instead of volunteers buying single-use plates, cups, utensils, and napkins for classroom celebrations, families can use the event kit full of reusable plates, cups, utensils, and napkins! After a celebration, volunteers take the materials home to wash, and return them to the school.

While our Zero Waste Reusable Event Kits for Schools program is growing, we are unable to reach every school. This school year, check in with your local school to see if they could benefit from creating a Zero Waste Reusable Event Kit! If so, ask other parents to chip in to create one or more kits, which we recommend to include:

Lightweight, stackable small plastic plates
Lightweight, stackable small plastic cups
Reusable utensils
Reusable cloth napkins
A few silicone straws and utensils. Silicone is flexible and soft, meaning these straws don’t pose a risk of injury for those with special needs.
A large plastic storage box to put everything inside

What are your waste-reduction strategies for the back-to-school frenzy? If you are a teacher, how do you reduce waste in the classroom? Parents, what tips have worked best for you? Let us know! Email [email protected], or tag us on social with your Zero Waste solutions!