If your home is cluttered with dried-out markers, consider the mountains of them piled up at your child’s school. Children not only use markers frequently, but they also often forget to put the caps back on, leading to an alarming number of “used up” markers each year that typically end up in a landfill. Thankfully, Crayola has introduced a solution to this problem.
A mom from Oregon, Lucy Thompson, recently shared a viral post on social media about Crayola’s ColorCycle program, which every school in the U.S. should utilize. This initiative allows schools to collect exhausted markers and send them back to Crayola for recycling at no cost. “Did you know Crayola offers ColorCycle?” she wrote. “Collect the dried markers, and they’ll provide a free shipping label for you to send them back for recycling! My kids were thrilled to set up collection boxes at their school.”
After just three months, Thompson watched her son’s school collect a staggering amount of markers. “Imagine how many we could save from landfills if every school participated throughout the year!” she exclaimed. As a parent of three children with a seemingly endless supply of markers at home, I wholeheartedly agree. This initiative can significantly benefit our planet with minimal effort from us.
According to Crayola’s website, they cover the shipping costs when you return the used markers, although there is one exception: they currently do not offer free shipping for Alaska or Hawaii. “It’s unfortunate that I have to pay for shipping, but it’s worth it to keep these markers off our beaches!” Thompson noted. While this may be a burden, parents could easily chip in a few dollars to cover the costs.
Crayola has made participating in this program incredibly simple. The first step is to inform your child’s school or PTA about ColorCycle. It’s hard to imagine any school turning down an opportunity that costs them nothing while helping the environment. Next, just set up a collection area and watch the markers accumulate. Then, pack them in a box and arrange for FedEx Ground to pick them up, with Crayola handling the shipping fees for those in the continental U.S.
Thompson mentioned that many people were unaware of this initiative until her post. “It’s amazing to think my little update may have inspired numerous schools to start their own programs,” she shared. She wishes Crayola would reach out to her to discuss the shipping issue for Hawaii and Alaska, as many schools there lack recycling options, and avoiding landfills is a big deal.
While working on a similar recycling initiative for Elmer’s glue, Thompson is also teaching her kids how to be environmentally conscious in other ways. They use bento boxes for lunches instead of disposable bags, steel straws, and avoid plastic utensils. They even have a fun project where they melt down broken crayons into molds to create new rainbow crayons.
Recycling dried markers is a fantastic way to help the environment while also engaging children in the importance of sustainability. Now if only getting them to put the caps back on the markers was as easy!
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In summary, Crayola’s ColorCycle program offers a simple yet effective way for schools to recycle dried markers, reducing waste and promoting environmental awareness among students. With minimal effort and the potential for community involvement, every school can contribute to a healthier planet.