Zero Waste

BPS strives to reduce the amount of waste generated by building occupants and reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste that is hauled to and disposed of in landfills or incineration facilities.

BPS is committed to Zero Waste because:

1. Recycling is BPS district policy and Massachusetts state law. Review the Boston Public Schools Recycling and Zero Waste Policy.

2. Recycling is free for BPS, while trash is an operational cost for BPS. School recycling is picked up curbside for free by Boston Public Works Department as part of the PWD Residential Recycling program. School trash is picked up at a cost by Jet-A-Way as part of the BPS hauling contract. Increasing recycling while reducing trash decreases BPS operating costs, funds which could otherwise be directed to teaching and learning.

3. School zero waste programs mitigate clutter. Clutter attracts pests, creates asthma triggers like dust, and takes up valuable school space that could otherwise be used for teaching, learning, and organized storage.

4. School zero waste programs create hands-on learning and engagement opportunities for students and staff. A successful zero waste program incorporates education and collaboration.

5. The principles of zero waste – redesign/rethink, reduce, repurpose, replace, reuse, recycle – teach us responsibility for our school and our waste, and engages us in the three E’s of sustainability: Equity, Environment, and Economy.

Get Started with the BPS Zero Waste Guide, Equipment Order Form, and Signage

TAKE ACTION

SCHOOL ZERO WASTE COORDINATOR
RECYCLING

Single-stream Recycling
Single-stream recycling is what goes into your blue bins. Most plastic, paper, and aluminum products can be recycled and picked up curbside by the Public Works Department. Learn more about what can and cannot be accepted. Use the BPS Recycling Signage to post throughout your school.
Question about a particular item? Visit the City of Boston Trash and Recycling Directory, download the Trash & Recycling app, or visit the state’s RecycleSmartMA.org and use the Recyclopedia tool.
Please note that as of June 2019, milk cartons are no longer recyclable in BPS/City of Boston.
Was your curb-side recycling not picked up? Call City of Boston 311 or report through the 311 App. PWD will be notified immediately of your missed pick-up. Indicate your school, your address, and the issue you had with a missed pick-up.
Cardboard Recycling
All corrugated cardboard must be separated from the single-stream recycling, flattened and stacked for pickup. Cardboard is regularly collected by BPS Recycling Staff, separately from PWD’s curbside single-stream pick-up. Contact Conroy Oates, 617-828-0712, if your school needs an additional cardboard pickup or there were issues with the collection.
Metal Recycling
Contact Rob Geary, rgeary@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-763-1030, to recycle metal furniture or scrap items.
Yard Waste
Prior to accumulating yard waste, contact Sean Byrne, sbyrne@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-293-3883 to schedule a pick-up. All schoolyard waste must be bagged in compostable brown bags or in plastic barrels. All branches need to be cut into small pieces and bundled.
Dumpsters
Contact Rob Geary, rgeary@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-763-1030, if you have questions or concerns related to the trash and recycling dumpsters at your school.
EQUIPMENT

If your school needs recycling equipment (classroom bins, common area barrels, or curbside carts), please complete and submit the BPS Zero Waste Equipment Order form in partnership with the Senior Custodian. BPS Recycling staff will deliver the equipment. Review the following flow chart to understand the optimal school equipment system.
Schools are highly encouraged to register with The Green Team, sponsored by MassDEP. Green Team schools can submit recycling equipment requests and receive free equipment from MassDEP.
EDUCATION
Education is key to a successful school zero waste program. The following are some suggested steps to educating your school:
1. Review and share the BPS Zero Waste Guide.
2. Fill out, share, and post in the main office Your School Zero Waste Profile.
3. Share and post the BPS Recycling and Trash Signage.
4. Invite the BPS Zero Waste & Sustainability Project Manager to your school to do a school recycling presentation. Contact Virginia Leary at vleary@bostonpublicschools.org.
5. Teach and learn about recycling using the Recycling Education Resource List!
6. Form a student recycling team that helps with peer education in classrooms and the food service area(s).
CLUTTER, REPURPOSE, and REUSE
Does your school have a clutter challenge?
Consider launching a decluttering effort at your school. Use the BPS Declutter and Green Out Guide to assist your efforts.
Decluttering Benefits:
- Decrease in pest incidents
- Decrease in asthma triggers such as dust
- Improved air quality
- Increase in available school space for academics, enrichment, and organized storage
- Improved access for daily custodial work
- Improved cleanliness and “look” of the school for school community and visitors
Reuse: School Supplies
Consider setting-up a reuse station in your school or contact Katherine Walsh, kwalsh4@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-635-9576, if your school has unwanted school supplies that can be reused, redistributed, or donated.
Books and Curriculum
Please contact the BPS Office of Academics & Professional Learning if you have unwanted books or curriculum.
Did you know a number of our schools have More Than Words donation boxes for books/DVDs/CDs/games? Boxes are currently located at the Edison and Boston Community Leadership Academy/New Mission High School. If your school is interested in a More Than Words box, please contact BPS Zero Waste & Sustainability Project Manager Virginia Leary at vleary@bostonpublicschools.org or 857-693-0341. Learn more about More Than Words from this Boston Globe article.
Furniture
All furniture waste must be reviewed by BPS Facilities Management for reuse, redistribution, or proper disposal. Contact Richelle Singh-Williams, rsingh@bostonpublicschools.org or (617) 635-9648, to schedule a furniture review.
CLOTHING and TEXTILES

Did you know that 95% of worn and torn textiles can be recycled, but 85% ends up in landfills instead? The Bay State Textiles School Box Program and City of Boston + Helpsy Box Program address this gap by:
1. Creating awareness about the problem of textile waste;
2. Providing education on acceptable items for textile recycling;
3. Generating revenue for the school.
A donation box is placed on school property, the box is serviced weekly by Bay State Textiles or Helpsy, and a rebate check, based on the weight of donations, is disbursed monthly to the school. The school receives $100/ton of recycled textiles, or $0.05/pound. Each box holds 300-500 pounds.

In addition to generating revenue for the school, the school box program provides a unique and engaging student learning opportunity on issues such as recycling and reuse, economics, marketing, and community service.
Did you know that a number of our schools already have Bay State Textile drop-off containers where you can donate clean and dry textiles? Please donate your worn and torn textiles to Bay State Textiles, whose containers can be found at New Mission/BCLA, Mozart, Ohrenberger, Kilmer Upper, Kilmer Lower, Bates, Henderson Upper, Henderson Lower, UP Academy Dorchester.
BPS seeks to expand its textiles container locations. If your school is interested in having a Bay State Textiles container on school property, contact BPS Zero Waste & Sustainability Project Manager Virginia Leary at vleary@bostonpublicschools.org or 857-693-0341.
ELECTRONIC WASTE
UNIVERSAL & HAZARDOUS WASTE

All hazardous waste and universal waste (lamps, batteries, mercury-containing devices, and pesticides) must be labeled according to the type of waste, must be labeled with the date of generation, and must be stored in the school’s accumulation location. Contact Chief Environmental Technician Maria Carvalho, mcarvalho@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-635-8300, to schedule a pick-up.

DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS

From 2017-2019, BPS Sustainability distributed new recycling equipment to BPS schools: 211 curbside recycling carts, 228 recycling barrels, and 4,154 classroom recycling bins across 102 schools.
Hurley K-2 Teacher Jen Mohr worked with Hurley K-2 and 4th grade students and teachers to put together a “Hurley Saves the Earth” bilingual video. Ms. Mohr and the students also led an environmentally-themed assembly, created a Hurley Green Team Newsletter, and engaged in a reducing plastic waste challenge.
The leadership efforts of the Channing Elementary School Recycling Club were recognized with an opportunity to star in the new City of Boston Zero Waste video.
Sumner Elementary School kicked off the academic year with a whole school Recycling Assembly led by Recycling Teacher Leaders Anne DeVita and Ruben Carrizosa and the Student Recycling Team. Thanks to the educational outreach and the students’ leadership, the Sumner is recycling an average of 20 96-gallon carts worth of materials weekly.
Brighton High School’s Recycling Program enables students with moderate disabilities that are on a non-diploma track to learn leadership, organizational, and communication, and vocational skills for post secondary life. It helps them become more independent members of society and allows them to be part of the broader community of the school. The team regularly works with BHS staff and students to ensure that all recyclable materials are placed in the proper receptacles and encourage students and staff to reduce paper waste throughout the school year. The Recycling Program has reduced Brighton High’s paper waste (worksheets, projects, etc) by 39% since starting 3 years ago.
BPS Facilities Management installed 40 new hand dryers in student bathrooms across 10 schools, branded with the BPS logo and sustainability facts related to waste and energy.
In preparation for the 2019-2020 academic year, more than 150 BPS teachers visited Re-Stream to pick-up free school supplies that were collected by Re-Stream during their customer move-outs, supplies that otherwise would have gone to the landfill, saving each teacher an average of $100-200 of avoided costs.