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School Recycling Information
Your school can be a valuable source of recyclable materials, but you need to
make sure those materials have somewhere to go. Finding a home for your
recyclables will be the first step in the recycling process. The next step will be
to collect the particular item you are interested in recycling. Then intermediate
processors (like the Recycling Bank of Gwinnett in Duluth) will take the
recyclables you collect and recover the raw materials. Finally, you must find a
way to sustain your program.
Unless your collection program is coordinated with the next step in the recycling
process, it will be just that: a collection program. You must have someone ready
to accept materials from your school before you can design a recycling program.
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Make sure you have the support of your administrator prior to proceeding
with any type of recycling program. Also, make certain your program is
integrated into the academic knowledge and skills curriculum.
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With the help of your administrator, put together a Recycling Committee
to help you design, implement, and monitor your school’s program.
Consider bringing together teachers, administrative staff, parents,
custodial staff, cafeteria staff, and student representatives.
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Before you begin with collecting any item for recycling, you will need to
understand some recycling basics and gather some facts.
Learning The Basics
Use this information to improve your current school recycling efforts or to
develop a new program.
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1. Gather the Facts
Why is recycling important?
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Saves Energy – It usually takes less energy to make recycled products;
recycled aluminum, for example, takes 95% less energy than new aluminum
from bauxite ore.
Saves Landfill Space – When the materials that you recycle go into new
products, they don’t go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is
conserved.
Saves Clean Air and Water – In most cases, making products from
recycled materials creates less air and water pollution than making
products from virgin materials.
Recycling saves natural resources and natural areas. Products made
from recycled material slow the depletion of non-renewable resources
such as metal ores, oil, and natural gas, and reduce the encroachment of
new mining and drilling operations on sensitive lands.
Recycling provides raw materials for industry. Georgia is home to the
nation’s largest single user of recycled PET (#1) plastic ~ the carpet
industry. Five 2-liter PET plastic soda bottles yield enough fibers to be
sewn into one square foot of carpet, or an extra large T-shirt. (Source:
Georgia Department of Community Affairs)
Recycling creates jobs. The Office of the Federal Environmental
Executive estimates that recycling and remanufacturing industries
account for approximately one million manufacturing jobs and more than
$100 billion in revenue. (Source: EPA) In Georgia, recycling industries
add over 3 billion dollars in value to the materials that they process,
employing over 23,000 Georgians. (Source: Southern States Energy
Board)
TIP: Create a recycling notebook of all your local contacts, participating
staff members, grants or in-kind donations, and a general history of your
recycling program (events, activities, competitions, etc.). This notebook will
provide important information for others to use as key people to your
recycling program leave the school. Sustaining a recycling program can be a
challenge in some schools.
*Also remember to keep your Environmental Profile document handy as a
reference and to help capture pertinent information.
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Identify recyclables
Conducting an assessment of your school’s waste can demonstrate the type,
quality and/or origin of the potential recyclable materials. This information
can assist your team with formulating school recycling goals and procurement
of recycling containers and other needed materials. Some schools opt to skip
this step, as the team has already identified a specific item abundant in the
waste steam. If you choose to conduct an assessment, realize there are
many templates available to conduct a thorough solid waste audit.
The intent here is to merely give a basic example of a simple audit formula.
The assessment should be completed by the students with guidance from a
teacher(s) and can be done by recording the contents of an individual
classroom and/or office wastebasket. Each classroom or a sampling of
classrooms can participate in an assessment by sorting and weighing
discarded trash. Once the trash is sorted and weighed, it can be multiplied
by the number of classrooms for an estimate of the amount of trash and
recyclable materials being discarded. Adding the waste from the media
center, computer labs, offices, cafeteria, teacher workrooms, and other
parts of your school will lead to a more accurate estimate of the total
amount and type of waste in your school.
Contact Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful at bmcdaniel@gwinnettcb.org or 770822-5187 for more detailed information about how to conduct a solid waste
audit.
Determine what materials to collect
Currently there is no countywide pick up service for recyclables at the
schools, other than for newspaper and classroom/office paper.
Recycling newspaper and classroom/office paper is a great place to begin
with your recycling program, as almost 40% of the waste stream is paper and
paper products. Any Gwinnett County public school is able to recycle
newspapers and classroom paper at no extra cost to the school. A large green
and red recycling bin is placed on your school campus. GC&B can assist with
you with what types of classroom/office paper can be placed in the bin (in
addition to newspaper). Your school will receive a small amount of revenue
for the newspaper/classroom paper collected based on weight. Normally this
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money is placed in the “general” fund at the school; but oftentimes,
arrangements can be made to have the revenue allocated for other
environmental programs. Some schools even purchase plastic recycling bins
for each classroom. Visit Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s website at
www.gwinnettcb.org for a list of recycling drop-off centers.
*Note – Currently, any other product you collect for recycling will have some
costs associated with it. Costs could include: labor (handling and disposal),
collection bin of some sort, and transportation to a recycling facility.
2. Design a Program
Organize collection and transportation procedures
With the help of the custodial staff, determine how many bins to make
and/or purchase and “map out” the ideal placement of the recycling
containers in your school. Share the map and solicit feedback from the
school administration, other teachers, parents, and students.
TIP: Have the students map the school and recycling locations as part of a
social studies lesson in mapping.
Considerations for storage and collection systems for recyclable materials:
 Does the school have space to use for collection and storage?
 What type of collection containers will be needed for the classrooms,
halls, media center, etc.?
 How will the recyclable materials be moved from the classrooms to the
collection and storage areas?
 Who will be responsible for moving the recyclables from central locations
(media center, teacher workrooms, copy room) to the storage area?
 How will contamination, like food waste, be prevented?
 When designing or purchasing bins, make sure they are well marked
and/or eye catching.
 With the exception of paper, which IS picked up at the school, most
schools recruit a teacher, parent, or custodian who will take the collected
materials to a recycling center (visit GC&B website for list of recycling
centers).
 The recycling team should determine how to handle holiday and summer
vacation recycling
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Common set-up for classroom paper recycling:
Most schools that recycle classroom paper have a box in each classroom.
Large, heavy-duty, cardboard boxes (Xerox paper boxes work well) are often
used. Some teachers opt to have the students decorate the boxes/bins. In
addition to the individual classroom bins, larger rolling bins are used, which
can be pushed to the main storage bin. “School Recyclers” (Maybe a group of
5th graders, special needs class, environmental club members, etc.) pick up
the classroom boxes when full and then place “all” the classroom paper into
large trash bags, which are then placed in the red/green newspaper recycling
bin. If recyclable materials are going to be stored indoors, make sure your
principal is aware of compliance issues with the State of Georgia and local
fire codes.
*Note: At this time, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful does not have recycling
bins to distribute; however, we are happy to provide you with a list of
vendors. A local source for purchasing bins: Rehrig Pacific in
Lawrenceville -770-339-9888.
Evaluate costs
Most schools invest very little money at the beginning of their recycling
efforts, but remember there ARE costs associated with recycling most
items. Some start-up costs might include: recycling containers/bins, signage,
staff and teacher training, custodial needs, and awards/incentives.
TIP: Periodically, grant funding opportunities can be found for recycling
programs at the Georgia Recycling Coalition’s website,
www.georgiarecycles.org or through the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation,
www.kgbf.org (click grant application and awards). You school business
partner might be able to assist you with recycling bins or other in-kind
support of your program.
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3. Start It Up
Phase-in
For smaller schools, it may be possible to start the recycling program all at once.
For larger schools, begin with a short pilot or test program in a cluster of
classrooms or offices. This will help the recycling “team” monitor response to
the program, assess the amount of recyclables collected, and address specific
contamination issues.
Common contaminants include:
 Food and items covered with food waste, such as cups and plates
 Pencils, pens, and other classroom supplies
 Tapes, glues, and adhesive labels
 Plastic coated envelopes, computer discs, transparencies, paper clips
Hold a kick-off event
When you’re ready to begin the program, start with a kick-off event that
includes students, faculty, custodial staff, parents, and community leaders. You
might even use a local and/or national event to launch or promote your recycling
program (America Recycles Day -November 15 or Earth Day- April 22). This is
an opportunity to build awareness, encourage program ownership, and educate
your audience about what and how to recycle.
Involve Students
Student participation will help generate enthusiasm for the program. Encourage
students to monitor specific bins and assist with the collection of recyclables.
4. Education is Essential
This is a CRITICAL step for the success of a sustainable school recycling
program. Don’t forget to capture all your information on your school’s
Environmental Achievement Profile.
An environmentally conscious team and school are critically important to your
recycling program. When your program is approved, planned, and ready to
implement, it is important to educate your student body, teachers, school staff,
and parents about the benefits and logistics of the program.
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TIP: Creating a recycling logo, slogan, and/or theme is a creative and unified
way to promote your program. This can be incorporated into the art and/or
technology curriculum.
The entire school will need information on what to recycle, as well as the
location of the collection bins. The committee/group in charge of the recycling
program can make presentations to the faculty and students OR you can
schedule an inservice from GC&B. An educator will come to your school and
inservice your faculty on the specifics of your recycling program. Remember
that each school year students, teachers, and parents will need information
about the program. Most importantly, recycling programs should be correlated
to the existing AKS curriculum to ensure sustainability and to provide
justification to school district and parents.
Create a unique way to promote your school’s recycling program. Promotion ideas
are as follows:
 Make presentations – invite local recycling educators to speak to faculty
and/or students and demonstrate recycling procedures
 Share information- use the school newspaper, website, email, closed
circuit TV, and student orientation to reinforce the importance of
recycling at school
 Use peer education- have older students teach younger classes about
the school recycling program
 Focus on teachers – teacher acceptance and understanding of the
program will help educate students. Use staff meetings, grade level
meetings, written communications, and in-service days to educate
teachers about the program
 Engage students – organize a contest for the recycling program (slogan,
most enthusiastic, etc). Allow students to decorate a school hallway or
bulletin board with educational information
 Monitor recycling bins – inspect bins regularly and create a system to
remind students and faculty about appropriate recyclable materials
 Reinforce – take every opportunity to communicate the progress and
success of the recycling program and praise positive actions
5. Evaluate and Share Results
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Keep track
Track results to evaluate program value. Work with the recycling company to
gather information such as:
 Amount of material that is recovered for recycling. This amount is
typically reported in tons, although measuring in pounds may be more
realistic. Compare waste collection before and after implementing the
recycling program to get data on the amount of material being diverted
from disposal.
 Expenses and cost-savings. Start up costs such as bins, teacher and
student education and awareness activities may be offset or covered by a
decrease in material going to disposal.
 Program acceptance and participation. Consider providing a survey to
teachers, students, and parents for ideas about improving your program
(example survey items: container appearance, use, and location; adequate
education/promotion; collection frequency, etc.) Even the bet thoughtout program won’t work if student and teachers don’t buy into the
program. Students and teachers have to be excited about recycling and
understand how the program works. People need a reason to recycle, so
you must effectively communicate the many reasons to the students,
staff, and faculty.
Publicize successes
Positive feedback motivates participants to keep recycling:
Students and teachers – keep a running total and post monthly recycling figures
to make students and faculty aware of the results of their efforts. Recognize
recycling champions at school gatherings, faculty meetings, and in the school
newspaper or website.
The community – provide regular updates to parents and community residents,
as well as Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful about program activities and successes
through newspaper articles, community and school events, and presentations to
parent organizations.
Awards - You might consider recognition awards for outstanding teacher, class,
and/or grade level recyclers. In addition, recognition and appreciation should be
given to the recycling team members. You should also document this in your
school’s Environmental Achievement Profile (available from GC&B or from your
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school’s teacher and/or PTA environmental representative(s). Consider applying
for local, state, and/or national award program to recognize your school’s
recycling program. Watch for GC&B’s annual award nomination form, usually
available in the fall on the website: www.gwinnettcb.org , or by contacting your
school’s environmental teacher/PTA representatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to do a recycling “drive” for a particular item?
Sure, as long as you clearly communicate the start and end date of your
“drive.” One school advertises its aluminum can “drive” on the marquee and
coordinates the drive dates with special PTA programs. When collecting
items for a “drive,” the key is communication. Make certain your school
community knows when and where to drop off the designated item. Also
make sure your informational piece clearly states when the drop off for the
item is over. You don’t want parents to continue dropping off athletic shoes
for weeks after you’ve stopped your drive.
Can we recycle items not traditionally collected for recycling?
REMEMBER, locate a market (someone who wants the items) before you
begin collecting items such as: cell phones, eyeglasses, inkjet cartridges,
athletic shoes, etc.
How can we recycle our cardboard, which is quite abundant at schools?
With the ongoing concern over the amount of cardboard at schools, several
schools have opted to purchase a recycling bin for cardboard. The bin is
placed at the school and picked up, as needed, by the company servicing the
bin. The cost for the bin is usually paid for by the revenue received from the
newspaper/paper, or from fundraiser money that has been allocated to
environmental efforts. If securing a cardboard bin is not an option, then you
will need to recruit someone to flatten the boxes and transport them to a
recycling center.
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Our paper/newspaper bin is overflowing. Who do I call?
Contact Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful at 770-822-5187 and ask for the
administrative assistant for guidance. Let him/her know your name, the name
of your school, and a contact phone number. GC&B will then contact the
recycling company and ask that your school’s bin be emptied.
Do you have suggestions on where in our school we should place our
recycling bins?
Depends on the item you are recycling. Just remember, it needs to be easy
and convenient for teachers/parents to access. Some general guidelines for
bin placement include:
 Recyclable materials should not be stored in the boiler room or near
electrical equipment
 Indoor recyclable storage containers should be located in a room with a
sprinkler system
 Visible or easy access/location for students, teachers, parents, and staff
 Location inaccessible to animals
 Classroom containers should be emptied as often as possible
Does GC&B have a list of recycling “facts” that we can use over our
closed circuit system to generate interest in our recycling program?
Recycling Fun Facts are a great way to generate interest in your program.
Below are a few fun facts to get you started:
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Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for 3
hours about 18 million homes) for one year
Over 120, 000 aluminum cans are recycled every minute in the United
States
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to manufacture 19 more
When you recycle your used paper, paper mills will use it to make new
newspaper, notebook paper, paper grocery bags, corrugated boxes,
envelopes, magazines, and cartons. Recycled paper is also used to make
things you may not have thought of, such as animal bedding, compost, kitty
litter, and insulation
Recycling a three-foot high stack of newspaper saves one tree
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People that live in the United States represent only 5% of the world’s
population, but generate 30% of the world’s garbage
Recycling a glass bottle can save enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb
for 4 hours
Every ton of paper that gets recycled saves enough energy to heat the
average home for six months (4100 –kilowatt hours).
Over 50 different product, ranging from auto parts to fibers and tee
shirts, are made from recycled plastic bottles
Since 1990, nearly 4 million scrap tires have been recycled in GA
Sources: NAPCOR, GA Dept. of Community Affairs, American Plastics Council, Keep America
Beautiful, Alcan, Steel Recycling Institute, American Forest & Paper Association, GA
Recycling Coalition
Where Can I find Recycling Containers?
Recycling Containers
Contact the recycling container vendors listed below. We do not
endorse any of these companies. If you have experience with
any recycling container company that is not listed, please contact
Brenda McDaniel at bmcdaniel@gwinnettcb.org and the company will be added to the
list.
You can also check local businesses for recycling bins (such as office supply and
discount stores).
Rehrig Pacific Company
1000 Raco Court
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
Local Phone: 770-339-9888
(800)-241-9693
e-mail: info@rehrigpacific.com
http://www.rehrigpacific.com/environ_1.html
Plastic, indoor recycling containers (nesting and stacking bins)
Bagit© System
The Bag Connection, Inc.
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459 SW 9th Street
Dundee, OR 97115
Phone: 800-622-2448
Fax: 503-538-0418
e-mail: info@bagitsystem.com
www.bagitsystem.com/System.htm
Unique recycling containers with stand and bag; variety of products to reduce, reuse
and recycle
Barco Products
11 North Batavia Avenue
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: 800-757-5460
Fax: 630-879-8687
www.barcoproducts.com/trash.html
Variety of indoor and outdoor recycling bins; can crusher – combined crusher and
container for cans; slate top plastic bins made from recycled HDPE (Milk Jugs)
Ecolad Corporation
243 W.Congress; STE.#350
Detriot, MI 48226
Phone: 800-665-6263 or 519-250-0366
http://ecolad.com/tek9.asp?pg=products
Fax: 519-250-0160
Variety of indoor and outdoor recycling containers; can crusher recycling center and
Canpactor II
The Fibrex Group Inc.
3734 Cook Boulevard
Chesapeake, VA 23323
Phone: 800-346-4458
Fax: 1-800-444-8380
e-mail: ruben@fibrexgroup.com
www.fibrexgroup.com/products.html
Outdoor Recycling containers are made from 95% post consumer content recycled
plastic (milk jugs) and a selection of indoor recycling containers
Maxi Container, Inc.
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6000 Caniff
Detroit, Michigan 48212
Phone: 800-727-MAXI Fax: 313-891-6476
e-mail: MaxiRSR@aol.com
http://www.maxicontainer.com/fiber-drums/fiber_drums.htm
Variety of metal, plastic, and fiber drums (new and reconditioned)
Idea: Students could decorate the drums for the recycling programs.
Keysan
Phone: 800-969-5397
Fax: 888-834-9090
e-mail: sales@workstuff.net
http://www.keysan.com/ksu7746.htm
Variety of plastic, indoor containers
One Earth Corporation West
15517 Comino Real
Surprise, AZ 85374
Phone: 623-556-1160
Fax: 800-335-4913
Toll Free: 800-779-3062
www.oneearthrecycle.com
Reusable, cardboard recycling containers (variety of styles)
Toter Incorporated
PO Box 5338
841 Meacham Road
Statesville, NC 28677
Phone: 704-872-8171
Fax: 704-878-0734
Industrial/Commercial/Institutional Sales Division Toll Free Number
800-772-0071
Email: info@toter.com
http://www.toter.com/products.asp?id=82
Indoor plastic recycling bins (rollers available on most); customized graphics available
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Recycling Products, Inc
P.O. Box 5009
Bradford, Ma. 01835
Phone: 800-875-1735
Fax: 978-372-3953
E-Mail: recycle@recyclingproducts.com
http://www.recyclingproducts.com/
Plastic, indoor recycling containers
The Ultimate Recycling Bins
92 Newark-Pompton Turnpike
Wayne, NJ 07470
Phone: 800-910-4757
www.recyclingbin.com
Fax: 973- 872-9010
Variety of indoor and outdoor recycling containers; customized orders; paper and
plastic bins
United States Plastic Corporation
1390 Neubrecht Rd.
Lima, Ohio 45801-3196
Phone: 800-809-4217
Fax: 800-854-5498
www.usplastic.com
A variety of indoor, plastic bins – mobile round or square, stackable, desk side and
station containers
Volunteer Drum
3311 John Sevier Highway
Knoxville, TN 37914
e-mail: info@volunteerdrum.com
http://volunteerdrum.com/
Variety of metal, plastic, and fiber drums (new and reconditioned)
Idea: Students could decorate the drums for the recycling programs.
Waste Warriors
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3233 Eglinton Avenue E., Unit 105A
Scarborough, ON
M1J 3N6 Canada
Phone: 416-261-0800 Toll Free: 877-432-4365 Fax: 416-261-3275
e-mail: enviroman@wastewarrior.com
www.wastewarriors.com
High end, indoor and outdoor steel recycling containers and stations
Windsor Barrel Works
PO Box 47
Kempton, Pennsylvania 19529
Phone: 800-527-7848
Fax: 610-756-6389
e-mail: info@windsorbarrel.com
www.windsorbarrels.com
Variety of indoor and outdoor recycling containers; customized orders; certain
containers made from 100% post consumer plastic
For more information, visit Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s website at
www.gwinnettcb.org or call 770-822-5187
Other related documents available upon request:
Special Events Recycling
Recycling bin vendors
Environmental Achievement Profile
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Resources for Recycling Education
Supplementary Curriculum
Waste In Place (WIP), Grades K-5, and Waste: A Hidden Resources (WHR),
Grades 6-HS, Keep America Beautiful, Inc., 1997. Collection of waste reduction
and recycling activities designed to help students make informed decisions about
solid waste issues. These interdisciplinary resources are correlated to
Gwinnett’s AKS curriculum and Georgia Performance Standards. Contact GC&B
if your school does not have a copy of WIP or WHR. (These are usually kept in a
central location such as the media center). These supplementary curriculum
guides are only available through a WIP or WHR workshop. Contact GC&B if your
school is interested in a workshop.
The Quest for Less, Grades K – 6, Environmental Protection Agency, 2000.
This is a teacher’s guide to reducing, reusing, and recycling. Download the guide
at www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/kids/quest/index.htm .
Project Learning Tree (PLT) Environmental Education Activity Guide, Pre K-8,
American Forest Foundation, 1996. This guide provides hands-on,
interdisciplinary activities for students to investigate environmental issues and
encourages students to make informed, responsible decisions. This guide is only
available through a PLT workshop. Contact GC&B if your school is interested in a
workshop.
Toolkit
GC&B Waste Reduction and Recycling Toolkit, lesson plans, fun facts, and lots
of examples of reused and recycled materials. Appropriate for grades 2-HS
(Available on loan from GC&B)
Web Resources (these are subject to change without notice)
Alcan Aluminum Corporation
www.recycle.alcan.com
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Aluminum Association
www.recycleyourcans.org
America Recycles Day
www.americarecyclesday.org
American Forest and Paper Association
www.afandpa.org
American Plastics Council
www.americanplasticscouncil.org
Caraustar (local paper market)
www.caraustar.com
Can Manufacturers Institute
www.cancentral.com
Earth Day Network
www.earthday.net
Earth’s 911 (statewide local markets)
www.1800Cleanup.org
Environmental Education in Georgia
www.eeingeorgia.org
Georgia Composting Association
www.gacompost.org
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
www.dca.state.ga.us
Georgia Recycling Coalition
www.georgiarecycles.org
Glass Packaging Institute
www.gpi.org/Teacher.html
Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful
www.gwinnettcb.org
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
www.isri.org
Keep America Beautiful (KAB)
www.kab.org
Keep Georgia Beautiful
www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org
National Association for PET Container Resources
www.napcor.com/index1.html
National Soft Drink Association
www.nsda.org/Recycling/index.html
National Recycling Coalition
www.nrc-recycle.org
Newell Recycling (local metal market)
www.newellrecycling.com
Nike, Air to Earth
www.ecoeducators.com/nike/nike
Pollution Prevention Assistance Division
www.p2ad.org
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation www.rbrc.org
Recycle America Alliance
www.recycleamericaalliance.com
SP Newsprint (local paper market)
www.spnewsprint.com
The Steel Recycling Institute
www.recycleroom.org
US EPA (virtual recycling game)
www.epa.gov/recyclecity/
US EPA (general information)
www.epa.gov/msw/reduce.htm