America Recycles Day is Almost Here!

Did you know America has a National Recycling Day?

Since 1997, communities across the country have come together on November 15th to celebrate what can happen if we all work together to make recycling bigger and better in the United States. Recycling events large and small are popping up all over the country. Some are being organized by companies like Waste Management, Johnson& Johnson and Pepsico, but others are being put together by people and communities who are just as excited to help further the recycling cause.

Cartridges for Kids® (CFK) is excited to get involved in this spectacular day, and we want you to get involved too! Visit Americarecyclesday. org to find out more about events being hosted in your area, or get help hosting your own event. Sign the Recycling pledge and find some great tips and toolkits to help make recycling easy and fun in your school and community!

Now that you know about this terrific cause, how about getting involved while earning cash for your school/organization? Here’s where CFK comes in!

Most recycling events focus on paper, plastic and glass products. While we know how important these things are to recycle, what about the items that you can’t just drop in a green recycle bin and place on your sidewalk? With the increasing amout of technology in our world, electronics recycling or eCycling, is more important that ever- and CFK is an expert on the subject! We want to support America Recycles Day by spreading the word that ecycling is just as important as recycling.

We know you’ve been working hard getting the word out about our program and collecting cellphones and cartridges galore for us to recycle, but what if we told you we know how to help you be even MORE successful?

We’re talking about a collection drive! America Recycles Day is a great opportunity for you to get the word out in your school and community about your involvement with Cartridges for Kids and a CFK collection drive is the perfect way to do it.

The best part? It’s really easy! A drive can be as big or as small as you want it to be and CFK will provide the materials to get you started. Just click here to order everything you need to kick-off a cellphone and/or cartridge collection drive at your school. Just be sure to order your materials soon- we want you to be able to have your drive all planned out in time for America Recycles Day on November 15th.

If you aren’t sure how to promote your Collection Drive, visit Ways to Grow to find tons of great ideas and templates including our most popular project- the Recycle Tree.

We want to hear from you too! Do you have an awesome new idea about how to promote ecycling at your school? Is your Recycle Tree brag-worthy? Send us your ideas and pictures to cfkprogram@wm.com with the subject line “Our school loves CFK!” and we might post them here. We always love to hear about your success and creativity!

Good luck with your Collection Drives and we look forward to hearing from you!

It’s That Time of Year….RECYCLE TREE TIME!

We have told you ALL ABOUT recycling trees for over a year now, but in case you’re just joining us, here’s the lowdown:

1. Clear a spot on a wall, preferably one that everyone in your group sees often.

2. Use butcher paper to create a tree trunk and hang it on the wall.

3. Tell everyone that you’ll give a paper leaf to whoever brings in an item to recycle. It can be a used cell phone, empty ink cartridge, used laptop, DVD movie, GPS device, digital camera, video game, calculator, or iPod.

4. Recyclers can decorate or write their name on their leaf and put it on the trunk.

5. The more you recycle, the bigger your tree gets!

Click here for a link to a template. Click here for examples of other groups’ recycling trees.

Spring Recycling Trees!

Check out what Maplebrook Elementary did to celebrate Earth Day:

And Woodlawn Elementary:

These schools used their recycling trees to grow their earnings this Spring!
Click here for a template and directions on how you can grow a Recycling Tree at your organization!

Way to go Maplebrook and Woodlawn!

Way to Grow Number 2

Here on the CFK blog, we talk about Recycling Trees ALL THE TIME!  In fact, the T, R, E, and S button on my computer are all but worn off completely.  But we just can’t stop ourselves.

Recycling Trees can boost your earnings,

increase participation,

and give your school a lovely new decor…

(Thanks Foothills!)

Recycling Trees are easy to do at your school or organization.  Here’s how…

1. Click here to print off a template for the tree trunk and leaves.  Post the trunk somewhere everyone can see it.

2. Give a leaf to everyone who brings in a recyclable item.  They can decorate the leaf, write their name on it, etc., and place it on the tree.

3. The more items you recycle, the fuller your tree is!

Recycling Trees can be adapted to fit your school or the season!  Try a Field of Flowers, Winter Scene, or Holiday Scene, where each participant can receive a petal, snowflake, shamrock, or heart to place on a paper mural.

Recycling Trees can earn lots of money.  Read all our other Recycling Tree success stories here and here and here and here and here and here and here.

Once you start your Recycling Tree, send us pictures and stories so we can share your success!

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Recycling Trees

Last fall, schools across the country grew their funds with Recycling Trees…

This fabulous promotion idea came to us at CFK last year, and we couldn’t help but tell everyone about it.  This fall, we want YOU to participate and send us your success stories and pictures. Wanna know more?  Read on…

Q: Ok, what are they?!?!

A: Recycling Trees are just visual ways to represent the recyclables your group collects.  Each student/participant gets a leaf when they bring in an item.  They write their name on it and slap in on the trunk.  Pretty soon, you’ve got yourself one healthy-looking tree.

Q: Do I have to use your template?

A: Of course not!  We at CFK are all about creativity.  Make it your own.  You can even branch off (bad pun intended) and do a winter scene with snowflakes, a Valentine’s Day mural with hearts, or a palm tree with coconuts.  The sky’s the limit.

Q: Yeah, but does it work?

A: One school earned more during their 6 week Recycling Tree campaign than they earned the entire 2007-2008 school year!  Another school earned $400 in 2 weeks!  We’ve learned that participation grows when people get to see their recycling contributing to a group effort.

Q: How do I get started?

A: We’ve made it easy for you.  Click here, print out the template, hang it up and spread the word.

Q: Can I send you my pictures of my completed Recycle Tree along with our results so you can post my pictures to the CFK blog and brag about our school?

A: Of course.

Ivy Creek’s Recycling Tree

Ivy Creek Elementary put up a Recycling Tree and have made over $100 in just one month!

Way to go Ivy Creek!

Beaver Brook’s Recycling Tree

Beaver Brook tried a slightly different spin on their tree: rather than dedicating a leaf to each student or each item, each week Beaver Brook’s program director tallied each class’ contributions and wrote the total on a leaf, which was then allowed to “fall” to the foot of the tree so students could see which classes earned the most points.

Great job Beaver Brook, for recycling, and for coming up with a fun and creative way to display your program’s success with your recycling tree!

Recycling Trees are all the Rage!

Just look at Foothills Elementary’s tree!

Nice job Foothills!

Try a festive tree, decorate with lights, ornaments or icicles. It could be a palm tree with long fronds and coconuts. Get creative and remember to keep sending us all your wonderful pictures for a chance to be featured here, on our Cartridges for Kids blog!

So what are you waiting for? Plant a recycling tree today!

Recycling Trees!

It may be winter time, but recycling trees are popping up in in schools all across the country. Plant your own recycling tree today, and watch it grow all year long!!

Marshdale Elementary’s tree is growing all the time, and hiding a little stow away! So far, Marshdale’s tree had helped them earn almost $400 in only 2 weeks! That’s more than they earned in the entire 2006-2007 school year! Keep up the good work guys!

And just look at C.A. Roberts Elementary’s tree, the vibrant colors really brighten up a boring hallway!

Just like the trees in the forest, no recycling tree is exactly alike. What will yours look like? Click HERE for all the materials you will need to start your own recycling tree!

Tree Tips:

• “Plant” a tree for each class or grade and grow a recycling forest
• Use our TREE TEMPLATE, or create your own! Draw a tree stump on a transparency, and get creative! maybe it’s a Christmas tree, use lights in place of leaves. Maybe it’s a recycling shrub, use your imagination! Project it on to butcher paper. Color it in, cut it out and start recycling!
• Hand out a leaf for each item brought in. This will help ensure lush growth in little time.

What makes your recycling tree special? POST YOUR IDEAS for a chance to win!

Christa McAuliffe Elementary’s Recycling Tree

Just look at Christa McAuliffe Elementary’s gorgeous Recycling Tree! What a bright, fun and simple way to beautify the halls of your school, the walls of your classroom, and the world outside it! We provide a template for the trunk of the tree and the branches. Project it onto butcher paper with an overhead projector, trace the image, cut it out, and display it somewhere everyone can see.

Encourage students to bring in items by giving them a leaf on which to write their name. Let them pick a spot for it on your tree. Watch the tree grow fuller and greener (Christa McAuliffe chose a lovely fall theme for their tree) as the world gets a little greener, too. This is a great project for spring as your tree may mimic those outside!

Congratulations Christa McAuliffe Elementary, on your fabulous tree and your amazing efforts! Keep up the great work!

Here are some of the items that were collected: