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Plastic Free School

Plastic Footprint Audit • Determine - Collect data to learn how much single-use & disposable

plastic is used at your school - - - daily, weekly, monthly, annually

• Qualify - Discover what kind of plastic items you have.

• Quantify - Figure out how much you have.

• Strategy - Create an Action Team to measurably reduce your school’s plastic footprint.

• Create - measurable data/case studies.

According to the Ocean Conservancy (2012), disposable plastic makes up 60% of ocean pollution. That means out of every 10 items picked up as trash along the coast, 6 pieces will be plastic. The most common plastic items found are the following:

1. Caps and lids 2. Bottles and other beverage containers 3. Plastic bags 4. Food wrappers and containers 5. Disposable eating utensils – forks, knives spoons 6. Cups 7. Plates 8. Plastic straws.

The plastic items may be brought to school by students or staff. They may also be part of the school’s resources. The data collection should include a count for all three elements: individual, class, school. Let’s start counting!

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Basic School Information Name ___________________________________ Type (Public, Private, Charter) __________________________ Grades ___________________________________ Number of Students ____________________________ Average Class Size ____________________________ Number of Administrators/Staff_______________________

Does your school have recycling? If so, what can you recycle on campus? (Check those that apply)

• Plastic bottles _____ • Paper / cardboard _____ • Other plastics ______ • Aluminum cans _____ • Steel cans (soup, tuna cans, etc.) ______ • Glass ______ • Other___________

Are there places on the school grounds to buy food, snacks or drinks? Record the number of each type.

• Vending machines___ • Fast food restaurants___ • Coffee shops___ • Cafeterias___ • Other _____

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Does your school have drinking fountains or hydration stations, beverage fountain dispenser?

• How many? • Do they work? • Is it easy to fill a bottle at these fountains?

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Student Plastic Footprint Tool

Food I brought to school today

Item

Yes - How many?

No

Notes

Plastic Yogurt container

Plastic juice, soda or milk bottles

Paper boxed milk juice, or soda

Plastic Water bottle

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Plastic or aluminum drink

pouches

Plastic Straws

Plastic spoon or fork

Sandwich in plastic wrap, or plastic bag

Snacks in plastic wrap or plastic

bags

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Pudding, cheese crackers, fruit

snacks, other foods, in hard plastic

containers

Chip bags, energy bars, candy, cookies

wrappers

Other

Other

Total Add up this column

Add up this column

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Reusables

Item Yes No Notes

Water bottle:

Glass Stainless steel Plastic Aluminum Other

Lunch Container:

Cloth sandwich bag Stainless steel Plastic Other

Utensils:

Bamboo Metal spork Plastic Other

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Straw – glass, plastic, stainless steel, bamboo, wood

Lunch box or bag:

Cloth Metal Plastic Other

Other

Other

Teacher:

Collect the sheets and create a chart showing the class totals/data.

Collate data from all classes, staff room and cafeteria

Discuss results: Compare totals for classrooms around the school.

1. Which students bring more single-use & disposable plastic items?

2. Who packs your lunches?

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3. Discuss alternatives - What are available options for wrapping sandwiches and other food items?

4. Which type of washable containers could be used to bring drinks?

5. Identify the most common type of single use plastic items at the school.

6. Discuss which of these items your school could identify alternatives for – reusable replacements for disposables.

7. Identify one place where can start a plastic reduction project. Devise a strategy with a time frame. Make a commitment and start the project.

8. Document the process. Create a case study which includes the data.

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Plastic Footprint of lunches provided by the School:

Please answer using 1 = Yes, 0= No

Item

Thrash – throw away

Yes - 1 No - 0

Wash - Reuse Yes - 1 No – 0

Plastic Yes - 1 No – 0

Compost Yes - 1 No – 0

Number

Tray

Forks, Knives, Spoons

Cup

Plate

Bowl

Straw

Number of Food items wrapped in Plastic – put in Notes column

Number of

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other items wrapped in plastic (napkins, straws, forks and spoons, etc.) - put in Notes column

Teacher team:

Collect the sheets and do a chart showing the totals.

Discuss results:

1. Which items are being thrown away uneaten?

2. Which items do not need to be wrapped in plastic?

3. Which alternatives are available for wrapping sandwiches and other food items?

4. Which washable containers could drinks be brought to school in?

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Which disposable plastics are on our school grounds?

Teacher team: Identify a class to walk around the school grounds to collect this information.

Item Yes or No? Did they come from

school?

Did they come from

home?

Did they come from

a store? Plastic cups Polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups

Polystyrene (Styrofoam) plates

Plastic bottled water Plastic bottled juice or soda

Plastic utensils (forks, spoons)

Plastic straws Plastic grocery bags Plastic sandwich/snack bags

Plastic wrap Plastic to-go boxes

Paper boxed milk juice, or soda

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Plastic or aluminum drink pouches

Chip bags, energy bars, candy, cookies wrappers ,

Other

Other

Teacher Team: Distribute this information to all the classes. In class, discuss what this information means for your school?

• Which of these items is the biggest concern?

• What is the source of the plastic? Are they passed out at (like a plastic fork in the cafeteria), or are the items brought from off campus (home or store)?

• Which alternatives can be used in place of single-use plastic? Can you stop using some of the items?

• Which changes need to be made at the school to help reduce the disposable plastics?

• Who do you need to talk with in order to make change happen?

• Join the “Plastic Free School Action Team” to create change.

Taking Action

1. Create a “Plastic Free School Action Team” at your school - Include students, staff, faculty, parents or other interested community members.

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2. How many students can you get to take the Refuse Pledge?

3. Learn about alternatives that can be used.

4. Create competitions between classes with prizes like stainless steel lunch containers.

5. Set goals for making change – i.e. work with the PTA to raise money to fix all the broken water fountains and add refill spouts so water bottles can be filled.

6. Are their items you can simply stop using? (i.e. straws)

7. Set up a school recycling program.

8. Set up a school composting program