Resources for Implementing Zero Waste
The resources below have been developed by the San Mateo County Zero Waste Education Alliance
PHASE 1 - PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT
Zero Waste Strategic Plans
District level planning template and SMCOE example
8Rs of Zero Waste - Solutionary action and advocacy strategies for zero waste
Waste Assessment Templates:
San Mateo County Office of Sustainability: walk-through assessment format for any school stakeholder
San Mateo County Office of Education: spreadsheet format for school administrators
Recology San Bruno Peninsula Services: walk-through assessment format for any school stakeholder
SMCOE Whole School Sustainability Audit: comprehensive audit for campus, curriculum, and community that covers waste generation, processing/hauling, and sorting
Education Foodware v5[1].pdfReducing Single-Use Plastic and Food Ware Waste
This infographic provides school boards an overview of the San Mateo County's Disposable Food Service Ware Ordinance
PHASE 2 - IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING
Waste Receptacles
Updating waste bins around campus can make sorting easier for students, staff, and faculty. While there are many options for purchasing new bins, old bins can be repurposed with color coding and labels.
RethinkWaste recommended receptacles and what they offer at no cost to schools within their service area.
San Mateo County Community College District Design Standards: This design standards guide is most applicable to high school campuses, but can be applied to any K-12 project manager who is creating standardized designs district-wide.
2019-9-18 compost.pdfSigns and labels
Consistent signage helps ensure proper waste sorting. Be sure to use labels from your waste hauling company/service area. Creating signs for waste bins can also be a student-led project.
The County of San Mateo Office of Sustainability signs: These labels are not specific to any hauler
SMCOE Waste Receptacle Signs (Note: These were developed for the 101 Twin Dolphin Central Office, with adults as the primary audience)
Zero Waste Training
Make a copy and customize this slide deck to lead your own zero waste training or reach out to your waste hauler and SMCOE for resources and assistance. Check out the following resources for help with waste sorting training:
RethinkWaste online sorting game
Recology What Bin Searchable Tool:
South San Francisco Scavenger Sort Smart Tool
PHASE 3 - SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Sustainability dashboards are a great way to track and monitor progress. Dashboards can compare sites within a district, track improvements from year to year, and help identify areas for improvement. Sustainability dashboards use utilities data and can be customized for you district's use. Dashboards can also be incorporated into lesson plans. Check out this example of how to make that data transparent and acessible:
Award Programs
There are many award programs that celebrate school or district zero waste and sustainability efforts. For help applying to these award prorgams reach out to the SMCOE ELSI team (elsi@smcoe.org).
SMCOOS Green Star Schools
Email ELSI@smcoe.org for assistance with Zero Waste projects