Creating A Successful Waste Reduction And Diversion Program

While schools are required to recycle and properly manage hazardous and infectious waste, there may be room to improve this mandatory waste management. There are also many opportunities for schools to do more, such as recycling additional items like milk cartons in the cafeteria or working to reduce food waste. The following sections provide a template for how your school or district can assess how waste is currently managed, find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle more and ensure you are following state waste management requirements. Creating a successful waste reduction program starts with a thoughtful plan that engages the entire school community.

Plan A Waste Initiative At Your School

Creating a successful waste reduction plan begins with a spark, often the passion of one student, teacher or staff member ready to lead change, but true success requires the involvement of the entire school community. From classrooms to cafeterias, every person plays a role in the waste stream and has the power to help reduce it. This section will guide you through setting the scale of your efforts, building a strong team and laying the foundation for meaningful, school-wide impact.

Set Your Scale

Determine the scale of your waste reduction journey.

• Classroom Scale: Teachers and students collaborate on activities and projects to minimize waste in the classroom.
• School Scale: Students and staff work across classrooms, common areas and cafeterias to reduce waste both inside and outside the building.
• District Scale: Policies and district-wide initiatives are established to promote waste reduction and diversion across multiple schools and administrative offices.

Build Your Team

Start conversations, gauge interest and initiate a team to help bring this project to fruition. This team looks different for everyone, from a teacher and their students to the entire school district. This must include decision makers who will support waste analysis and implementation efforts.

• School principal
• District administration
• Building custodian
• Cafeteria staff
• District sustainability coordinator (if applicable)
• School or district IT staff
• Teacher(s)
• Students
• School clubs
• Community partners
• School or district environmental health and safety coordinator

During your first team meeting, it is recommended to create team expectations and possibly assign roles to team participants to easily divide and conquer!

Assigned Roles	Role Description
Primary Contact	Schedules team meetings and check-ins
Waste Assessment Coordinator	Leads the waste assessment
Team Member	Participates in meetings and activities, provides advice and leads by example
Promotion and Outreach Coordinator	Promotes activities through emails, newsletters, posters, morning announcements, etc.

Additional roles can be created based on interest and need.

Establish A Meeting Schedule

We recommend scheduling monthly meetings every school year to ensure progress and accountability. Below is an example meeting schedule for one school year, keeping in mind that this is an iterative and continuous process.

Meeting	Example Agenda
1-2	Identify team members, assign roles and establish a meetings schedule. Consider asking custodial staff to walk the team through existing waste management practices.
3-4	Choose a focus and conduct a waste assessment.
5-6	Analyze assessment findings, set goals, define activities and consider a timeline and budget.
7-8	Implement activities and promote the initiative.
9-10	Team check-in: what is or is not working?
11-12	Evaluate progress, celebrate success and set future goals.

Analyze Your Waste Streams

Choose A Focus

Focusing on one waste stream will yield more accurate results. Choose a waste stream and conduct a waste assessment to collect baseline data. This data can be used to evaluate the results of the team's waste initiative.

Conduct A Waste Assessment

The waste assessment is the key to successfully collecting data on what is getting thrown away and what could be recovered or diverted. The results of the assessment will establish a baseline for measuring progress of waste reduction efforts! In this case, the saying “You can’t manage what you don’t measure” holds true. The team will only be able to see and celebrate successes if there is a starting point for comparison. Data can be obtained either by requesting waste records from the school’s hauler or by performing a waste characterization study.

For the most in-depth waste assessment, it is recommended that schools conduct a waste characterization study. In a waste characterization study, waste is collected, separated and weighed. This type of study will identify the types and weight or volume of waste your school is producing. As a team, determine which areas of the school’s waste stream will be characterized: the whole school, cafeteria, classrooms or offices and staff rooms. As a team, decide how the waste assessment will be conducted (either by staff and students or by paying for a contracted study), the day(s) that the assessment will take place and how results will be analyzed. If appropriate, promote the assessment to the school community.

1. Seek support and approval from the building principal to conduct a waste characterization or assessment.
   1. Be clear that this is an information-gathering step that can be used to engage students in standards-based learning and civic engagement. Emphasize this is not a performance evaluation, but an opportunity to develop improved processes to prevent waste and conserve resources.
2. Coordinate with custodial and facilities staff.
3. Conduct the Project Learning Tree - Waste Characterization Study or similar study.
4. Analyze and share results.

Design A Waste Reduction Or Diversion Initiative

After the waste assessment, the team can determine the materials of focus, set waste reduction goals, consider implementation activities and create a timeline to achieve those goals. Seek and incorporate input from custodial staff to get suggestions for improvement of processes in the school building, a critical link between those generating waste and the hauler. See the "Actionable Examples" on the Green & Healthy Schools website for goal, strategy and activity ideas.

Step	Description
Set Goals	A goal is a clear, targeted statement outlining what the project aims to achieve, such as reducing school waste by 30% within a year. Goals are specific, measurable and time-bound outcomes that guide the initiative.
Establish a Strategy	A strategy is the overall approach to reaching the set goals. It involves decisions about how resources will be allocated and which methods will be prioritized. Strategies are broad, directional frameworks guiding the project.
Define Activities	Activities are specific actions or a set of tasks undertaken by the team to reach one or more goals. Activities are part of the overarching strategy, and activities can be further broken down into tasks for specific individuals.

Organize a Work Plan

Clearly define and assign activities, tasks, expectations and responsibilities for each team member, ensuring accountability and tracking of progress. The team should also consider holiday and summer vacation responsibilities.

Considerations

• Timeline: Develop a timeline that outlines key checkpoints and deadlines for each activity, ensuring that the team can track progress and make necessary adjustments throughout the project.
• Budget: Discuss if there are material costs needed for implementing your waste reduction plan, such as new collection bins or signs. The team can work with school administration to acquire funding, if needed. Assess other potential funding opportunities, such as grants or local partnerships, to secure financial resources needed for the implementation of plans and related activities.
• Monitoring Progress: Simple shared documents or spreadsheets detailing collection efforts work well for tracking progress. Another option would be to join EPA's Waste Wise program, which provides forms, instructions and technical assistance to schools.

Implement Waste Activities

Now it's time to implement your waste reduction or diversion initiative. Start by implementing specific activities and tasks assigned to each team member within a defined timeline. See the "Actionable Examples" on the Green & Healthy Schools website for activity ideas.

Considerations

• Seek Permissions: Some activities may require prior approval from school administration, custodial staff or other school staff. Ensure all necessary permissions are obtained before starting.
• Conduct Research: Each strategy may involve unique logistical, safety or operational factors. Research best practices and requirements in advance to ensure a smooth implementation.
• Record Keeping: Maintain accurate records throughout the initiative. Capture data such as start and end dates, who was involved (implementers and participants), the type and amount of waste reduced, diverted or collected, and any challenges or successes encountered.

To ensure implementation success, engage students, staff and parents through promotional and educational opportunities that will foster community involvement and raise waste reduction awareness.

Promotion and Communications

Let people know about this waste reduction plan. Here are some areas where schools can promote and engage the school community to meet their goals.

• Awareness: Build awareness through a waste initiative campaign, morning announcements, newsletters, family emails or letters and social media platforms.
• Events: Host an end-of-year school supply collection, promote a reuse and repurpose challenge or showcase a waste-to-art exhibit.
• Signage: Educational materials like signs, infographics and brochures should be strategically placed throughout the school to reinforce waste reduction messages, provide tips for sustainable practices and raise overall awareness.
• Incentive Programs: Develop recognition or reward systems for classes that excel in waste reduction, such as a trophy, special privileges or an end-of-year celebration.
• Community Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses and organizations to create educational resources, sponsor events or facilitate waste audits.

Integrate Educational Opportunities

Incorporate the waste reduction goals in classrooms and at staff meetings to engage the broader community and drive success.

• Curriculum: Incorporate lessons on waste management, sustainability and environmental impact into existing subjects.
• Staff Trainings: Provide professional development sessions to equip teachers and staff with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively teach and promote waste reduction practices.
• Project-based Learning: Encourage students to lead waste-reduction projects, allowing them to apply their knowledge, develop problem-solving skills and take ownership of sustainability initiatives within the school community.

For more waste reduction ideas, resources and lessons, visit the Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin website.

Evaluate And Celebrate Your Success

As a team, identify challenges faced, highlight successes and explore opportunities for future improvement. To evaluate waste reduction efforts, consider methods such as pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in knowledge, comparing data against baseline measurements and ranking the effectiveness of various strategies to determine what worked best.

Evaluate Activities And Strategies

The team should evaluate the waste reduction initiative based on established goals at least once a year. There is always room for improvement. Provide a survey to teachers, students, school staff and parents for ideas about improving your strategy (example survey items: bin appearance, use and location; adequate education/promotion; collection frequency, etc.).

Expand Efforts

Once the waste reduction program is operating effectively, the team may investigate additional ways to reduce waste by focusing on an additional waste stream. In addition, the team can consider other "green and healthy" school initiatives (e.g., water conservation, energy conservation, air quality improvements, etc.).

Celebrate Achievements

• Earn a badge through Green & Healthy Schools.
• Apply for statewide recognition through Green & Healthy Schools and the Recycling Excellence Awards.
• Share with community: in school district communications, school newspaper/newsletter, letters to families, social media, etc.