About Zero Waste

• Zero Waste aims to minimize waste and resource consumption in order to conserve energy, mitigate climate change, reduce water usage, prevent toxics creation, and minimize ecosystem destruction. (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Creating things from raw materials (vs. recycling) uses 60-95% more energy and water, generating 90% more emissions (EPA)
• Chicagoland has 8 active landfills with a lifespan of about 6 years. Space is limited and haulers must travel longer distances to landfills, burning more fuel and releasing more emissions. (Seven Generations Ahead)
• Landfills release methane, which is 21x more potent than CO2. Landfills also pollute ground water and land. (EPA)

About School Waste

• 18,000 lbs of trash is generated each year from one average-sized elementary school. (kidskonserve.com)
• The average student generates approximately 1/2 lb of waste per school day. (EPA)

About Beye & District97 Zero Waste

• District97 has saved more than $26,000 since zero waste efforts began at Beye and other D97 schools in 2008!
• An additional $32,000 per year could be saved if all 8 D97 elementary schools installed hand dryers & had a 2-sided copying policy! Our schools are working with the District and Seven Generations Ahead to make this happen.
• D97 schools have received almost $100,000 in zero waste funding since 2008 (Beye has received $20,000)
• Since Zero Waste initiatives began, Beye has reduced the amount of trash it sends to landfill by approx 53%: we used to generate about 160 lbs/day of trash, and now generate about 76 lbs due to implementing composting and by stepping up recycling.
• On average, Beye is currently diverting about 18 lbs of compostable waste from landfill (used to go in trash).
• On average, Beye is currently diverting about 38 lbs of liquid waste from landfill (mostly milk; used to go in trash).
• In the 2010-2011 school year, Beye diverted almost 3,600 lbs of compostable food waste (compostable fruits/veggies) and almost 6,000 lbs of liquids (mostly milk).
• Beye hopes to receive grant funding towards an industrial composter, in order to also divert 24 lbs of meat/dairy waste per day (an estimated more than 4,000 lbs/school year – currently being landfilled).
• Partly because of the Zero Waste efforts happening at D97 elementary schools, at least six Chicago Public Schools — and possibly as many as sixteen — are preparing to launch Zero Waste initiatives by applying for the same grant that D97 schools have received in recent years. Beye Green Team was busy last school year conducting trainings and tours for Chicago and Midwest-area schools & organizations looking to implement Zero Waste (see here for a list of trainings/presentations to date). 2 tour groups from various Chicago Public Schools and 1 group from Cincinnati (including representatives from the “Keep Cincinnati Beautiful” initiative and the Sunny Delight beverage factory) visited Beye to see what we are doing. The tours were a great chance to share what we’ve learned over the last three years, and we received positive feedback that the information sessions were informative and inspiring.