Discover a variety of curated resources for moving your school along a path to zero waste.
Zero Waste Schools Resources
SGA's Zero Waste Schools Guides
Sorting Signs
Use these signs as reference to create your own. Keep in mind that signs are most effective if they are color coded, use photos, show the most commonly used items in the lunchroom, and are placed at eye level. The order of collection containers and their corresponding signs is essential to the success of any sorting program. Consider using different colored bags in the collection containers to differentiate the waste streams.
Lunchroom Sorting Signs (Bilingual)
Dumpster Signs (Bilingual)
Organize Your Tray Sign (Bilingual)
Share Table Sign (Bilingual)
Waste Audits
UPDATED! SGA’s Lunchroom Waste Audit Guide (Audit guide & printable form)
SGA’s At-Home Food Waste Activity (Audit & action items)
Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits: A Resource for Schools (USEPA, USDA, University of Arkansas)
Recycling
Chicago Public Schools Recycling Guide
Directory for recycling other common items, including: Books, Cartridges/Inkjet Toner, Art Supplies (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County)
Cook County Green Guide provides tips and information about recycling food scraps, textiles, and other common household items
SWALCO’s Recycling Guide showcases specific neighborhood recycling programs to help residents learn how to properly reduce their waste
SWANCC’s tips for avoiding contamination highlights commonly misplaced items, including nuisance and dangerous materials
Composting
Guides
SGA’s Lunchroom Composting and Recycling Guide
Guide for Zero Waste Ambassadors
Guide to Composting Onsite at Schools (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
Composting at School: The ABCs of establishing an effective composting program at schools in Chittenden County, Vermont (Chittenden Solid Waste District)
Best Practices for Organics Recycling in Schools (Hennepin County Public Works, Minnesota)
A Guide to Starting a Composting Program in Your School (Green Mountain Farm to School)
How-to and Educational Videos
Shortened Spanish Educational Video
The Compost Story (Kiss the Ground)
Composting for Kids (Highfields Center for Composting)
How to Sort Waste in the Cafeteria (Hennepin County)
How to Sort Cafeteria Waste at School (Green Gloves/Oakland Unified School District)
Sort Like Crazy (Mr. Eco)
Sort! (Northern California Recycling Association Zero Waste Schools Committee)
Additional Resources
We Compost Recognition Program (Illinois Food Scrap Coalition) Get your school’s composting efforts recognized!
Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) Visit the BPI website to find all sorts of certified compostable products for use in municipal and commercial composting facilities. BPI maintains an up-to-date catalog of companies and products that have met BPI standards.
Share Tables & Food Recovery Options
Seven Generations Ahead Share Table Toolkit (Everything a school needs to optimize food recovery efforts through the use of share tables)
SGA Video for Share Table/OVS Student Training
The Use of Share Tables in Child Nutrition Programs (USDA)
Illinois State Board of Education’s School Nutrition Programs Administrative Handbook (See Section J-8)
Wasting Less Food in K-12 Settings: Best Practices for Success (National Resources Defense Council)
True Food No Waste: A Food Waste Action Plan for Minneapolis Public Schools
Washington School Food Share Program Toolkit (EPA Region 10)
Sharing the Table: A Roadmap to Reducing and Recovering Surplus Food in Schools (Center for Green Schools)
K-12 Food Rescue share table data sign up form
ISBE’s Page for Wellness Policies
Reducing Waste Through Prevention
Presentations:
- Webinar on the “Food Waste Reduction Toolkit for IL Schools,” (7/27/21 recording on SGA’s YouTube channel, 58:27 hr)
- Zero Waste & Better Health: Two Schools on a Journey to More Sustainable, Reusable Foodware (Center for Environmental Health and The Center for Green Schools)
Center for Environmental Health’s Ditching Disposables Toolkit, Everything a school or district needs to help them make the transition from single-use food service ware to healthier and more sustainable reusable options
The Conscious Cafeteria Report, A national pilot study on reusable foodware for healthier, more sustainable schools
Wasted Food Scale (US EPA)
Turn a Wasteful Lunch into a Zero Waste Lunch
Offer vs. Serve (Offer versus Serve (OVS) is a provision in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) that allows students to decline some of the food offered.)
SGA’s Offer vs. Serve and Share Table Training
Offer vs. Serve Sign – Spanish
Chef Ann Foundation’s The Lunchbox
Why does food waste matter? (In this video from the World Wildlife Fund for grades K-8, students will learn what it takes to get food to their plate and how they can help the planet through food choices they make everyday.)
What You Can Do To Help Prevent Wasted Food (USDA)
Tools for Preventing and Diverting Wasted Food (US EPA)
Food Loss and Waste Animated Shorts (FDA)
Quick tips:
- Use condiment dispensers instead of single-use condiment packets
- Use bulk utensil and napkin dispensers instead of bundled utensil/napkin packets
- Switch to washable utensils or lunch trays
- Switch to recyclable or compostable packaging or serviceware
Plastics Reduction
Curricula
Plastics, Plastics Everywhere (Grades 6-8, National Geographic)
Plastic Pollution (Grades 4-12, National Geographic)
Trash Academy (5 Gyres Science to Solutions)
Activities
Litter Clean-Ups
- Data+Action Litter Clean-Up (Cafeteria Culture)
- Adopt-a-Beach Litter Clean-Up (Alliance for the Great Lakes)
- LitteratiED (Litterati)
Kids vs. Plastic (National Geographic)
Plastic Free Lunch Day (Cafeteria Culture)
Nurdle Patrol (University of Texas Marine Science Institute)
Films
Microplastic Madness Documentary (Cafeteria Culture)
The Story of Plastic (The Story of Stuff Project)
The Plastic Problem (PBS News Hour documentary)
Organizations
Reusable Foodware
Education Resources
Videos
SGA’s Reducing Waste in Your Lunchroom (15 minutes)
Reducing Waste in Your Lunchroom – A Review for Students (7 mins)
OVS/Share table educational slideshow for students (6 minutes)
Curricula
Don’t Throw Me Away: A Zero Waste Curriculum (Seven Generations Ahead)
Food Waste Warrior Toolkit (World Wildlife Fund)
The Quest for Less: Activities and Resources for Teaching K-8 (US EPA)
Composting in the Classroom: Scientific Inquiry for High School Students (Cornell University)
The Soil Story Curriculum (Kiss the Ground)
Activities & Field Trips
DIY Data and Action Litter Clean-Up (Cafeteria Culture)
Explore the World with Virtual Field Trips (The Nature Conservancy)
Infographics Library
Reducing Food Waste: What Schools Can Do Today Infographic (USDA)
The Benefits of Composting & Compost Use (Institute for Self-Reliance)
Case Studies
New case studies forthcoming!
Presentations, Trainings and Webinars
OVS/Share Table Training (15 minutes)
Wasted Food Action Alliance Share Table/OVS Presentation from 8/28/2024
Serving Up Sustainability: From Restaurants to the Home Kitchen webinar from 10/18/2023 (IL Green Alliance YouTube channel, 1:28 hours)
Going for Zero Waste at School webinar from 5/10/2022 (SGA YouTube channel, 58:57 min.)
Zero Waste School Practices During COVID-19 webinar from 9/2/2020 (SGA YouTube channel, 1:30 hours)
Organizations that Educate and Engage
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Solid Waste Agency of Lake Cook County (SWALCO)
School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education (SCARCE)
Illinois Green Schools Project (Illinois Green Alliance)