Zero Waste : A Realistic Sustainability Program for Schools

Book by Kary Schumpert and Cyndra Dietz, Eco-Cycle

Take a look behind most schools and you’ll see dumpsters full of plastic bags of classroom paper, discarded cafeteria food, milk cartons and paper towels. Day-to-day operations in a typical school require lots of resources, very little of which gets reused, reclaimed or recycled.

Visit one of the 31 Eco-Cycle Green Star Schools (14,000 students and staff) in Boulder County, Colorado, and the story is different. Hallways and classrooms are still bustling, but outside you find dumpsters not only for garbage, but for compost and recycling. More than likely the trash container is less than half full while the compost and recycling containers are brimming. How is that possible?