A collaborative effort of the City of Lakewood, Jeffco School District and local nonprofit, Eco-Cycle, to bring zero waste practices and education to every school in Lakewood.
1. Within Lakewood City Boundaries - This program is funded by Carry-Out Bag Fees paid to Lakewood retailers and remitted to the city to fund waste diversion programs.
2. Elementary School - Food waste per student is higher at elementary schools (older students produce less plate waste and high schools have off campus lunch options). Elementary students will also be in the district longer and investing in their habits early on is more impactful.
3. School Leadership & Staff Support - School administration and facilities staff are the ultimate decision-makers within a school’s culture. Without sufficient support and motivation from within, no program succeeds. Therefore, parent interest alone is not the driving factor when selecting a school. Parent driven initiatives also tend to wane with the child’s matriculation to a new school.
Each school receives the following support to launch recycling, composting, and “share tables” in their cafeteria:
The partners are able to launch up to two schools per academic year in Lakewood. Schools are selected by Jeffco based on success factors.
Since the program expansion is very gradual, we recommend schools explore the following opportunities, too:
ZeroWaste@LakewoodCO.gov