Getting Started

The steps outlined below are meant to be a checklist for guidance!

(There are links to model programs and contacts databases throughout the text below to help you get started or to find ideas about how to expand your recycling program.)

1. Meet with the school’s administrator, maintenance manager, and faculty members who are interested in recycling or environmental issues to secure their cooperation for participation in the competition. In-school groups that could become involved are the Conservation Club, Environmental Club, Green Team, or similar student group that could support and/or help manage the competition.  Request that a student representative of the group join in future School Recycling Challenge Team meetings.  Parent groups can be part of the team.  Free resources for students, teachers and parents about how to get started greening your schools can be found through non-profits such as Green Schools Initiative and the Go Green Initiative.

2. Form a Team and request that the Team tour your school’s facilities to observe current waste and recycling practices. Observe the materials presently recycled, materials disposed, collection methods, and opportunities for increased recycling.  Determine who is responsible for providing recycling and waste collection services to the school.  Determine if your school has a dedicated recycling coordinator providing assistance either from the school district or the waste hauler, by searching the internet.  For example, if you live in the Salinas area, the staff of Salinas Valley Waste Management Authority (SVWMA) provides assistance to schools.  Click here to see free resources and general information for students and teachers from SVWMA.  In other areas of Monterey County, Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) provides education tours and information through their Small Planet School Program.  Click here to learn more.  

3. Invite a representative of the school’s hauling company to meet or discuss with the school’s business manager whether an increase in recycling will impact the school’s current collection service (additional container needs, space for containers, frequency of container pulls, and any other related costs). Include a representative of the hauler’s recycling processing company in the discussions and determine whether the materials selected for the recycling competition will continue to be accepted for the duration of the competition.  Many companies and their staff are members of either or both the California Refuse Recycling Council and the California Resource Recovery Association.  Both organizations provide networking information for their membership to share best management practices and programs.

4. Determine whether the school receives weight reports from the recycling hauler or recycling processor/market and whether material weights can be reported specifically for the competition period.  If material weights cannot be reported by the hauler or processor/market during the competition, determine whether an alternate method of weighing materials is available such as use of the School Nurse’s scale.

5. Learn about other schools' programs to get ideas about what might be possible! CalRecycle has information about Zero Waste Lunch programs.  Students, teachers and parents can reduce the amount of trash at school by making smart choices at home!  Click here for more information.  Alameda County Waste Management Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board operating as one public agency - StopWaste.org created the Irecycle@School Program to assist all of the 350 schools in Alameda County through providing technical assistance in designing and/or enhancing a recycling program for the district as well as provide free 4Rs educational services  Click here for more information, including specific recycling program information for each School District in Alameda County.  The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation provides free recycling services for all schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District located within the city limits.  Click here for more information on the program,materials that can be recycled and list of the 588 participating schools.  Click here to read an article about the program's success!  The City of San Francisco's Department of the Environment has developed a large number or resources for kids and teachers to promote environmental stewarship and waste reduction at school and home. Click here to get great ideas for reycling and using less stuff!  You may want it, but do you need it?

6. Find additional help, notify your local community (City or County Recycling Coordinator) that you have a school that is participating in the California K-12 Schools Recycling Competition. They may be able to provide assistance.  Click here for the government contacts database.  Select your county and city location from the dropdown menu to find Jurisdiction/Annual Report contacts for your local government and CalRecycle Local Assistance and Market Development Division contacts.  As an example, the County of LA Public Works Department provides assistance to schools through the Smart Business Recycling Program.  The City of San Diego Environmental Services Department outlines the steps needed to set up various types of school recycling programs and has established EnviroSchool, aneducational workshop which brings  "EnviroSchool Scientists" to 35 schools each year. Click here for more information.

7. Determine and report separately, the school’s population/number of a) students and b) teachers.

8. Make sure teachers know about available curriculum. Teachers have free curriculum resources available that have been approved by State Board of Education, the Office of the Secretary for Education, the State Department of Education, and the California Natural Resources Agency.   The Environmental Education Initiative (EEI) has developed a K-12th grade curriculum comprised of 85 units teaching select Science and History-Social Science academic standards. Each EEI Curriculum unit teaches these standards to mastery using a unique set of California Environmental Principles and Concepts.  Click here for EEI staff contacts for your geographic area.

9. Develop partnerships with local non-profits and businesses to support your program. Many communities have strong non-governmental organizations that want to support good environmental stewarship and school education programs.  The members of the KAB Local Affiliates and KCB Proud Community Program provide support for schools environmental education and outreach.  For example Anaheim Beautiful sponsors the Green Ribbon Week supporting school programs.  LitterFreeLB.org supports year round activities for youth and targets school programs conducting outreach through Lunch with the Lizard Performances, Cleanup in a Box Contest, and Litter Stinks Poster Contest.

Competition Logistics

1. Steer and direct your school competition. Allow file cabinet clean-up drives as eligible and be clear that all qualifying materials must originate from within the school.  Recycling drives at school athletic events to collect beverage containers and other recyclable materials are acceptable as long as the waste material is generated by the campus event.  Materials collected through community drives cannot be counted as part of this competition.

2. Recording weekly and total weights for all materials collected.  Make sure to submit those numbers through the online report for posting on the web page to illustrate progress during the competition and enhance rivalry.

Promoting the Competition

1. Conduct follow-up meetings with schools administrators, maintenance staff, the faculty advisor, and student representatives during the competition to maintain interest and enthusiasm.  Get parents engaged.  For example, if your school is focusing on Zero Waste Lunch program, send information home with the students.  Click here for tips for parents from www.wastefreelunches.org. 

2. Determine whether your local city or county officials can help promote the competition. Check to see iff they can be available for competition rallies or awards ceremonies.

3. Obtain the authority to work directly with school media or press contacts if possible. Engage your media representative to help secure newspaper and media coverage and/or schedule events with your officials to promote the competition.

4. Promote the competition through posters, school announcements, articles in the school paper, art contests and other outreach mechanisms. Your local Recycling Coordinator may be able to provide your school with printed materials, assembly speakers, recycling bins, processing and marketing assistance, and public relations help.  The Greater Bakersfield Green Expo includes art and poster contests for school students to promote recycling.

5. Encourage your school or district to publicize the weekly recycling weights of participating grades/schools as reported on the web site. When results are visible to the school administrators, maintenance staff, teachers and students it can be motivational.  Click here to use the National Recycling Coalition's Conversionator Recycling Calculator to determine fun facts about your recycling efforts.

6. Consider providing prizes at weekly intervals. This will encourage and maintain student interest and school performance. 

7. Plan an event for America Recycles Day (Nov 15th). Make sure to register your event on the America Recycles Day Web Site.  They have downloadable graphics and other tools you might be able to use.  America Recycles Day falls on Monday Nov 15th.  You can schedule your event on any day in November in celebration of America Recycles Day.  The event can be of any size.  The point is to engage your school community to take action and remember every day is a recycling day! 

8. Make sure to take plenty of photos and video to share of your school’s efforts.

9. Publicize your California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge participation.

Follow-up

1. Celebrate!

2. Thank your student body, staff, and administration for participating.

3. Reflect and get ready for next year’s competition.