About a year ago our school joined the Crayola ColorCycle program, a sustainability initiative designed to repurpose dried out markers – which are abundant in a school setting. (Especially kindergarten: “Put the lids back on the markers, boys and girls!” is one of those refrains I wish I had prerecorded. Along with “Fingers out of noses!”)
Today we boxed up our third shipment, and it couldn’t be easier. You just set up a spot in the school to collect donations, and once the box is full, either weigh it or count the markers – this was a great snow day project for a few older students today! Next, log in to your ColorCycle account (superfast to set up) and print out a prepaid FedEx label for shipping. There’s no cost to you at all!
I love that they accept all brands of markers (not just Crayola) as well as dry erase markers and highlighters, and the program is available at schools throughout Canada and the US. There are even lesson plans available for teachers to use with students to support the initiative. Daycares, homeschools and preschools are encouraged to drop off markers at their nearest participating school, and students can bring in their dried-out markers from home too!
In our short time participating in this project we have diverted more than 1000 dried-out markers from landfills, which is pretty fantastic.
Please let me know if you have any questions! (Not sponsored, just wanted to share!)