Families in Lenawee County are soon sending their kids back to school.
While preparing to head back to campus, there is usually an emphasis on stocking up on new things like clothes and supplies. This can be exciting and fun — but there are a few ways to focus on sustainability while shopping.
As usual — it comes down to our 3 R’s — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Reduce
It seems strange to think of reduction at a time when you are buying new stuff, but there are some ways to make sure you aren’t adding a ton of extra waste throughout the school year.
Reusable water bottles: Make sure to have a backup and check the lost and found if a bottle doesn’t make it home.
Food storage: For lunch or snacks from home, you can reduce the amount of waste that might be produced by using reusable containers.
Food waste: Be mindful of what your children eat and adjust what you send in their lunch accordingly. For those who each lunch at school, you can also have conversations about what gets in their bellies and what goes in the trash. This may help them think about the choices they make when grabbing their trays.
School supplies: For middle and high schoolers, sometimes less can be more. Stock up on everything when it’s on sale but pack their backpacks and pencil cases modestly. Keep a school supply storage bin at home. This stops the practice of trying to squeeze every single supply into their backpack or pencil case at the beginning of the year and losing it all quickly in the abyss that becomes the bottom of their backpacks or lockers. By keeping a bin at home, they can restock their pencil cases whenever they need to, and it keeps you from having to make emergency supply runs throughout the year. And the less we purchase, the less trash we create!
Bulk purchase: If you have three kids and they all need glue sticks, buy a giant box and split it between them, rather than buying individual packages for each. This will reduce the amount of waste that has to get tossed into the bin.
Reuse
For some reason, we have gotten into a mindset that kids need new things every year that could really be reused.
Backpacks: While the flashiest new TV show characters might make your little ones excited to show off their backpack, instead consider one that can be used for a couple of years. If you have middle and high schoolers who have to carry heavier items around in their backpack, make sure you invest in one that can not only bear the weight, but last for years to come!
School clothes: You can still give your kids a fresh style by buying clothes that are “new” to them through thrift shopping and garage sale shopping. This helps the community reduce the amount of textiles that are going into our waste system — and it saves you money! Make sure to hit up nonprofits in our community such as Goodwill, Blessings and More, the Salvation Army and others! We also have several cute consignment shops in our towns where you can grab some great stylish finds for your kids.
Recycle
Finally, don’t forget to recycle! Look for the triangle on all your school supply packaging to determine if it can go in your recycling. When things have a thin plastic front that can’t go in the bin, the cardboard back often still can, so you can just pull them apartment.
Staples, which we have right here in Adrian, also has a school supply recycling program. The items they collect include:
- Backpacks and lunch bags
- Binders and zipper binders
- Crayons and colored pencils
- Glue sticks and glue bottles (empty)
- Pencils and pencil pouches
- Pens, markers and highlighters
- Rulers and drafting tools
One of the ways these items get recycled is through the Crayon Initiative, which melts and remolds old crayons into new ones that get distributed to children’s hospitals throughout the United States!
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Hopefully, your kids have a great start to their new school year. By following some of these tips you can also help educate them on how to do their part in keeping trash out of the landfill!
— Julie Maurer is the coordinator of the Solid Waste and Materials Management Program for the Lenawee County Health Department. She can be contacted at 517-264-5263 or via email at julie.maurer@lenawee.mi.us.