Save Cash and Cut Trash with Back-to-School Tips

By: Lance Klug, CalRecycle Public Information Officer

It’s back to school time, and this year we’re making simple changes to save money and show our kids how our small actions make a big impact. Here are the top three tips parents can use for a waste-free start to the new school year:

Shop Your Own House. Back-to-school doesn’t have to mean back to the store. Before buying anything new, we look around the house to see what we already have to reuse or repair.

Pro tips:

We don’t buy a new backpack every year. Add a cool patch, maybe something your child picks out, to hide holes or change the look.
Questions to ask: Do we still have perfectly good pencils, binders and notebooks? Can we quickly repair something rather than buying new?
We love to explore thrift stores and flea markets for unique finds. We also drop off school clothes that no longer fit and other items.
Gently used hand-me-downs from older siblings, cousins and friends are a great way to upcycle old items and give them new life at no additional cost.
Don’t forget to label your reusable water bottles, jackets, and lunch boxes to never lose them!

Snack Lessons. Snacks are a daily way to waste less and save more.

Pro tips:
Use reusable snack bags, containers, and utensils instead of single-use items.
My kids help select their food options. When they choose it, they’re more likely to eat it.
Composting and cutting waste are easy ways to make less trash and pollution. My kids love composting their food scraps at school and at home because they know it reduces landfilled food and cuts down pollution that causes health issues, droughts, and wildfires.

Cashing In with CRV. My kids collect and redeem beverage containers to cut trash and make some cash.

Pro tip:
Save your larger juice containers. Last year, the CRV program added more redeemable beverage containers, including large juice bottles. More containers mean more money for the kids, less money out of my wallet, and fewer containers in our streets and landfills.
Your child’s school can raise money by applying to be a Community Service Program with the state’s Beverage Container Recycling Program to collect CRV containers to cash in.

By taking these simple steps, we’re teaching our kids valuable lessons about creating healthier communities.

For more local recycling tips, visit RecyclingReimaginedCA.com.