Carton Recycling in Schools Best Practices
Recycling Station Best Examples Students empty their residual milk into 5- gallon buckets, which is easier for custodians to lift and empty. Students empty residual milk into a 33-gallon container. The custodian then pours the residual milk into a floor sink. Finding the system that works for your school!
Recycling Stations Think Outside the Can The custodian at Ridgewood Middle School in Arnold, MO created this system to the left. Students empty their residual milk into a metal funnel that is attached to a hose that goes into a sink, and a bin is placed below the system for carton recycling. A custodian at E.P. Foster Elementary School in Ventura, CA built the system to the right after having difficulting lifting the residual milk to empty it into the sink. This system is made from an old painter's dolly with two nested strainers in the rectangular bin for students to pour milk into. The custodian is then able to crank the dolly up and pour the liquid into the sink. Students at Clayton Elementary School in Wisconsin, left, empty their residual milk into an extra silver container they had laying around and then place their empty cartons into the recycling container. Notice the smaller opening in the recycling container to prevent contamination.
Recycling Stations Some schools have more simple recycling stations... New York City Schools Recycle Cartons! The city created some creative carton recycling bin signs and materials. These materials are available to any school throughout the country to use. Find the GrowNYC toolkit materials here. Notice: NYC schools recycle cans, bottles and cartons all in one bin.the residual liquid bucket is placed in the middle and the schools provide different size containers for smaller children to reach.
Recycling Stations More station examples... Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, NC created this carton recycling system after receiving a grant from Carton Council. The Carton Council created the signage for the school's containers. A school in Agawam, MA created their own branding for their program. Got Milk Cartons? The students quickly caught on and correctly put cartons in the recycle bin.
Simple Methods... Westview Elementary School in Jacksonville, FL has students empty their liquid waste directly into the garbage can. The custodian did not want to use a residual bucket so they continue to use the original trash bin for residual milk. The school built excitement and informed students about the upcoming carton recycling program by putting a board in the lunchroom to countdown the days to kick-off!
Going Above and Beyond Some schools have gone the extra mile and built their own stations! This school, left, received grant money from their county to build their carton recycling station (similar stations can be purchased for around $2,000). Students set down their trays to make it easier to empty their cartons and put them in the recycling bin. This system allows the custodian to wheel the entire station away for cleaning and emptying! A Custodian at Pine Jog Elementary in West Palm Beach, FL built this residual container, right, from materials he had laying around. He cut a hole in the lid of a regular 33-gallon container and put a spigot at the bottom for draining of residual milk into the slop sink. The custodian then found an old colander that he placed on top of the container for student to drain their milk or juice into, and he uses the towel to soak up any access liquid.
Going Above and Beyond Rack Drying Stations Gresham-Barlow School District in Oregon chose to do the rack drying method. Students empty their residual milk and juice into a bucket and then turn the cartons over and place them on the rack. This method guarantees dry cartons but can be time consuming.
Program Tip #1! Don t forget an Empty station! Draining liquid waste makes for a lighter and cleaner system. Plus, lighter weight bags are a custodian s best friend!
Program Tip #2! Don t forget about plastic liners! While it s easy to collect cartons in plastic lined cans, remember. Plastic liners go into the trash! Cartons must be removed from the plastic liners before being placed in the outside containers! Save money by not using plastic liners. Ask students to place empty cartons in unlined recycling cans.
Set up a Green Team! And get students involved! Students in Hillsboro, Oregon help with the carton recycling system at their schools. The type of school can determine the type of recycling system. The system to the right is placed on a table for middle school students (i.e. taller students). The system to the left is placed on inverted milk crates for student volunteers at an Elementary School. Design your system for the students who will be using it.
Make Participation Fun! Custodians in Hillsboro, Oregon created an innovative program to recruit volunteers to help with the recycling program. They created their own "fun money" and store. Student volunteers are "paid" for their work, and save their "money" to spend at the custodian store. The store contains all kind of toys and trinkets that the custodian has acquired through donations, thrift shops or dollar stores. Items are priced from $1 to $10, which teaches students to save money for something big.
Carton Recycling Posters Best Examples Carton recycling posters have a greater impact when designed by your own students, teachers, and parents.
Carton Recycling Posters Salt Lake City Schools designed the Drink it!, Drain it!, Dunk it! campaign.
And Finally! Find champions and make them poster children for recycling!
Contact Us! Debbi Dodson Carton Council Schools Recycling Coordinator West Coast ddodson1@mac.com (858) 272-6804 Barbara Heineken Carton Council Schools Recycling Coordinator East Coast bheineken@recycle.com (813) 802-8036 General Inquiries info@recyclecartons.com