School activities can leave us with a lot of extra waste--used paper, individual-sized snacks, old pens and pencils.  We should do our best to reduce waste when we can: recycle the used paper (after using both sides, of course!), use reusable containers for bulk snacks, and use pens, pencils and other supplies to the very end.

Back-to-school time is tough because it often means shopping for new supplies, setting new schedules, and buying new school clothes.  Here are a few ideas on how you can "green-up" your back to school routine:

Clothes 

The best green tip for school clothes is to shop at second-hand stores.  You can find great used and unused clothes at low cost to you and the environment.  Buy quality clothing that won't wear out and can be handed down, whether to other kids in your family or on to a thrift store.

Supplies

First, take inventory at your home, find leftovers from last year, and make a list of what you need after gathering everything you have already.  We know that shopping for new school stuff is fun, but that pencil purchased last year and never sharpened will work just as well this year!  Buy notebooks made of recycled content, with paper that is processed without chlorine and use both sides of every page before moving on to the next clean notebook.

Lunch boxes

Use a washable, reusable lunch box rather than a brown bag everyday. Use reusable containers instead of baggies or plastic wraps for your sandwiches and snacks-you can reuse them and your food won't get squished! Generally, packing healthier lunches will produce less waste; an apple or orange is better for the kids and will leave only compostable ‘wrappers' left.  Also, remember that buying in bulk rather than individual packages will save you lots of money and reduce waste! Packaging makes up 30% of the weight and 50% of trash by volume. Buy juice, snacks, and other lunch items in bulk and use those reusable containers each day.

Recycling

If you don't already have recycling set up at home, now is a great time to get a couple of paper recycling bins.  Put one near where your children do their homework and one where you pay your bills.  Notebook paper, office documents, unwanted mail can all be recycled.  You can probably recycle more paper than you think--about 21% of household garbage in the Twin Cities metro area is recyclable paper.

To learn more about what you can do to ‘green-up' your back-to-school routine and your home, explore RethinkRecycling.com some more.  And come share your other green ideas with us on our blog at RethinkRecycling.com/blog or on our Facebook page!