RAD Supercharges School Recycling
Over the last ten years, diversion and recycling have saved Teton County taxpayers over $3 million in avoided waste-hauling expenses. RAD Curbside is again turning to the schools as its next focused effort to increase waste diversion and improve the structure of local school recycling and diversion efforts. The schools are ideal “micro-communities” that can make a significant impact on increasing diverted waste, saving the school district money on trash services, and energizing our students to make a difference.
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To move this initiative forward, RAD has been collaborating with school staff, administrators, parent volunteers, and students to be more mindful about reducing food waste and increasing recycling. In April 2024, parent volunteers and RAD successfully completed the first-ever Food Waste Audit at Rendezvous Upper Elementary School (RUES). The Audit resulted in some excellent classroom learning and much-needed data on how much perfectly good food gets tossed into the trash. Because of its success and adoption by students, RAD donated a brand new glass-fronted “Share Fridge” in the school cafeteria for students to share unopened food items from their school lunches. This is a key tool to prevent food waste in schools everywhere. The kids love it, respect it, and are using it daily! Not only does it prevent food waste, it promotes the idea of sharing as a community value, and enforces the habit of not wasting food at school or at home. The Share Fridge also acts as a valuable resource for those students who may not have lunch or are still hungry.
This fall, RAD Curbside is offering the same Food Waste Prevention & Share Fridge opportunity to every public school in the district. Interested schools will be required to undergo a two-day cafeteria food waste audit with some educational programming about food waste prevention to earn a new Share Fridge for their cafeterias. Reducing school food waste going to the landfill helps ensure that kids are getting appropriate nutrition each day. And, it helps the environment and boosts the schools’ budget.
The second school initiative is aimed at bolstering traditional recycling at each school through student participation and ownership, and has been aptly named the School Recycling Superheros initiative at the elementary and upper elementary schools. Currently, each school has a different method of managing their recycling, ranging from not recycling at all to having the teachers or custodians take care of recycling. The result is often frustration and inconsistency. Understanding that kids are the most powerful agents of change within their own schools, RAD is collaborating with each school’s staff, administration, and students to create a program where a student group, club, or sports team oversees the weekly collection of classroom paper recycling and other school recycling bins. Students transfer clean and sorted recycling out in RAD roll carts for curbside pickup, and in the process earn $500 per year for their club or team.
Teachers at RUES, Driggs, and Victor Elementary have requested additional recycling bins for their cans, bottles, and plastic. RAD is acquiring and donating these to schools wherever possible. Working with art teachers, RAD is also encouraging students to decorate their bins and create recycling posters and other educational artwork.
What’s the catch? There is none! The district already subscribes to recycling and trash pickup at each school. RAD just wants to encourage more recycling and waste diversion to maximize the value our County realizes from recycled materials and to reduce school garbage (landfill-bound waste) volume.
Does RAD profit from more recycling? Actually, no. RAD sorts out any contamination at collection, then transports, and pays the County to deliver the recycling to the Transfer Station. However, since RAD is firmly rooted in waste diversion and recycling, there is a consistent drive to divert waste from the landfill in every way possible which benefits every taxpayer in Teton County. And, our beautiful Valley.
Together, our community can reduce waste and improve our recycling habits.
And it all starts with our kids.