EcoSchools Update​

This year, Carton Council of Canada and EcoSchools Canada continued their partnership aimed at supporting schools in effective beverage carton recycling through activities including a carton recycling contest and ongoing data collection through the Conduct a Waste Audit action.

The results of the Waste Audit initiative for the 2022–2023 school year have been impressive:

• 191 schools completed the Conduct a Waste Audit action.
• 81% of schools who completed this action indicated waste audits as an “established practice”.
• Over 298 hours of related environmental learning took place.
• Over 392,900 kg of waste (recycling + organics) was diverted from the landfill this year.
• Over 26,000 students were engaged in action and learning.

In the 2022–2023 school year, there were also notable improvements in the capture rates of milk cartons and drink boxes when compared to the previous year. For milk cartons the capture rate rose from 51% to 61% and drink boxes rose from 57% to 66%. While these advancements are promising, it is worth acknowledging that the current rates have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. This highlights the significance of consistently promoting and educating schools on proper carton recycling practices.

As part of efforts to continue to raise awareness about carton recycling, EcoSchools and CCC also partnered on the national Carton Recycling School Contest.

From October 16 to November 10, 2023, students in Canada were encouraged to take a photo capturing a best practice of carton recycling in action in their school and post the photo, along with a short description, to social media.

Creative submissions demonstrating leadership in promoting sustainability and active involvement in good recycling practices were eligible for the $1,000 grand prize or one of two $500 runner-up prizes. Each prize is intended to be used for improving and enhancing environmental activities at the winner’s school.

Congratulations to the winners of the national Carton Recycling School Contest. They are as follows:

FIRST PLACE: Vincent Massey Secondary School in Windsor, Ontario for their exceptional video profiling cartons and carton recycling.

RUNNER-UP: Pine River Elementary School in Angus, Ontario for their enthusiastic look at the work their ECO team is doing to support recycling best practices—and an exemplary sorting station!

RUNNER-UP: Highlands School in Edmonton, Alberta for their slam dunk, ensuring cartons end up where they belong.

SPECIAL MENTION: We’d also like to add a special mention to the grade 5/6 class at école élémentaire publique Madeleine-de-Roybon in Kingston, Ontario, for an exceptionally thoughtful and informative video about carton recycling best practices.

Cheers to these teams and all of the schools who submitted entries showcasing their impressive recycling efforts. Keep up the great work!