Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
There are many ways to produce less waste:
• Reduce the amount and toxicity of trash you throw away and reuse containers and products.
• Recycle as much as possible and buy products with recycled content.
• Practice composting by using microorganisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) to decompose organic waste, such as food scraps and yard trimmings.
Your PTA can facilitate these environmental stewardship objectives while earning money to support its education efforts. Many school organizations have on-campus dumpsters for paper and aluminum and also collect ink cartridges, cell phones and other electronic gadgets for fundraising. Don’t stop there! Educate your school family about the benefits of diverting reusable resources out of the waste stream. Here are some vendors and their information:
Reduce & Reuse
The following activities can be used as fundraisers or educational opportunities/offerings.
Reusable water bottles – Prevent thousands of one-time use bottles being disposed. Consider BPA-free options. There are thousands of potential vendors. Here are just a few: http://www.atlpromo.com, http://www.logomanmarketing.com, www.korufundraising.com and www.greenraising.com
Reusable shopping bags – It takes millions of barrels of petroleum each year to make the ubiquitous plastic bags – and they do not biodegrade in landfills. Many countries have banned plastic bags totally and no, paper bags are not a viable alternative either! Sites: www.icarebags.com, http://www.southernfundraising.com/spirititems.html, http://herobags.com
Reusable lunch containers – Did you know that on average, a child produces 67 lbs. of lunch trash per school year!. Help your school family divert tons of plastic bags, cartons and plasticware from the waste stream. Lunches brought from home are typically healthier too! Click on these links for GREAT info on waste-free, nutritious lunches:
| www.wrapnmat.com | kidskonserve.com | www.planetbox.com |
| www.lunchbots.com | herobags.com | www.litterfreelunch.com |
| www.reusablebags.com | Waste-Free-Lunch-Kits | Pack-a-Green-Lunch |
Recycle
SP Recycling – Newsprint, magazines, office mail
Contact – Sheila Eller, Procurement 678-358-7457
Direct Recycling – Aluminum only
Contact – Danielle Wallace, Pres. (404)735-7095
EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser
Contact – Jennifer (888) 326-7466 or Email
Cartridges for Kids – GPS systems, printer cartridges, cell phones, PDAs, iPods, laptops, DVDs, video games. Contact – Barb Hanlon 800-420-0235 ext. 2076
Cartridge World – Cartridges Contact – Owen Jones (404) 250-8700
Nike World – Tennis Shoes
Earth 911 – Everything!!
Cobb County Waste Disposal / Transfer Stationnote*: – Paper, Aluminum Cans, Aluminum Scrap, Scrap Metals, Glass, Plastic, Motor Oil, Anti-Freeze, Refrigerators, Carpet Padding, Cell Phones, Construction Debris, Landscaping Debris, Tires, Vegetative Waste (1897 County Services Parkway)
Contact – (770) 528-2500 or Email
* Certain items may carry a disposal fee
