The project we launched at our school last year was to conduct a waste audit. Our students became extremely committed to raising awareness on our campus about the amount of waste we contribute. This year, the students would like to continue that work but expand our reach. Our campus has only normal trash cans and no designated bins for compost, recyclables, liquid waste, and actual waste.
We want to provide our campus with these bins, educate the 650 students on how to use them and why they are important, and raise awareness of how much food is being wasted. Many of the issues we see are heavy trash bags, which impact our custodial staff; food waste when students could use a share cart; Animals on our campus are also impacted by the trash students leave behind; and, finally many of our students not knowing the difference between materials that are compostable/ recyclable, etc. This project started with 8 kids and became of interest to the full grade level. This project could further support clubs on campus by collecting plastics to recycle and increasing club funds. This would be a win-win for everyone.
Oct. 31, 2026 alert: We are experiencing technical issues with our membership registration processes. Please don't go without letting us know that you're ready to join the Roots & Shoots network and work to help people, animals, and our shared environment!
Email us at rootsandshoots@janegoodall.org with your name and phone number, and we'll be in touch to get you registered! The R&S USA office hours are Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Eastern, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! Thank you for your patience.
