Sustainability for the school season

Post-Labor Day in Minnesota means one thing – it’s back-to-school season! We believe September’s return to school is another excellent opportunity to practice sustainability during the year. To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of ways of how you can start going green for the 2018-2019 school year.

Start with your supplies

Have you searched your home for reusable supplies for the upcoming school year? Maybe you have pencils that could be re-sharpened, folders that are in good condition to be used again, extra pens hidden in drawers or notebooks that have only been written in a few times. Looking around for items you can use again helps reduce unnecessary spending on school supplies and the waste of throwing away older items.

If you do need new supplies, there are brands who offer supplies that have longevity and/or value sustainability efforts by using recycled materials for new products. These include things like recycled newspaper pencils, recycled notebooks and even backpacks. Brands like Office Max and Target also have recycled school supplies and bundles. Other brands like The Ultimate Green Store offer whole online stores dedicated to finding eco-friendly items.

Be conscious of clothing

Another costly endeavor in the process of back-to-school shopping is buying new clothes for the school year. While buying clothes is inevitable as kids are growing up, buying new everything each year doesn’t have to be. Stores like Once Upon a Child and Plato’s Closet offer cheaper clothing options where you can also receive money by bringing in clothing that longer fits your child. Other popular brands that incorporate recycling programs provide discounts to those who recycle their clothing. It pays to recycle!

Lunchtime counts, too

Consider opting for reusable products for school lunches. Some ideas include: carrying a lunch in a reusable box/bag instead of sealed plastic bags or single-use brown paper bags, refillable water bottles instead of buying packages of plastic ones or storing other drinks, foods, etc. in containers and thermoses you can keep wash and use over again. If any foods came in cans or similar packaging, don’t forget to recycle them at the end of your meal or after preparation.

Set up a shredding and recycling program

An analysis of schools in Minnesota found that “recyclable paper— materials from the three categories of “cardboard”, “white office paper” and “mixed paper”— accounted for 23.51% of the total waste materials generated by schools.” That’s represents a big opportunity to make an impact on the environment through shredding and recycling!

At Shred Right, we have a variety of ways that can help you with your sustainability efforts. Whether you have old confidential papers from bills or just old notes that you want to get rid of, we offer recycling programs through our parent company, Rohn Industries. What’s more, we’ve recently launched our #ShredRight4Good program that’s aimed to help our local schools stay sustainable through shredding. All of our programs follow our zero-landfill initiatives, so you can feel great about reducing clutter and protecting the environment, even while raising money for your school!

Interested in making a positive impact on your school and the environment? Contact us about #ShredRight4Good here or fill out our contact form for other inquiries on how you can be sustainable for the school season.