|
The Zero Waste Schools newsletter will help you get your school on a path toward
generating zero waste through waste prevention, recycling, composting, and food recovery. You’ll also find resources that connect zero waste to healthy eating, school gardens,
and environmental education and action.

Share the newsletter with friends, colleagues, and students interested in zero waste.
| | Help us engage more students 
in taking climate action in 2026! | | Please consider an end-of-year donation to SGA to help the ZWS program continue to expand our reach. Your contribution will enable us to provide even 
more schools with the technical support, guidance, and tools they need to 
reduce, recover, and divert waste while inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. | | NEW! School Share Table Toolkit for Schools | | |
Share tables are an easy, low-effort, and low cost way to provide school lunch items to students who might need an extra snack or milk. Implementation of share tables not only helps students, it is also a great way to prevent food waste and promote sustainability. Keeping food from going to waste, whether to the landfill or compost, is more important now than ever.
The Share Table Toolkit for Schools, created by the ABCs of School Nutrition and Illinois Extension, is a much-needed resource that can help schools safely and effectively rescue edible food. The Toolkit is full of helpful resources, such as:
The Toolkit cites many food safety studies that strengthen a school’s ability to feel confident starting a share table and addresses topics such as norovirus, time/temperature control for safety items, food allergies, and milk safety. Below are some specific tools to help guide a school to share table success:
| | Holiday Lights Collection | | |
Not sure what to do with your non-working holiday lights? This season Reduce Waste Chicago will be hosting its fifth-annual holiday lights collection featuring 10 more drop-off locations than last year. Drop-off points will be open from Dec. 6 - Jan. 31.
For a full list of locations and hours, click HERE. Please note that plastic bags or cardboard packaging will not be accepted.
Did you know that you can also mail in your nonworking holiday lights? HolidayLEDs offers year-round light recycling services. To find out more and for a full list of acceptable items, click HERE.
| Celebrate the holidays with less waste! | |
Give the planet a gift by getting closer to zero waste this holiday season. Check out these tips:
Planning your gathering: Plan your zero waste holiday event with the help of SGA's Zero Waste Schools Event Guide. The guide features general advice on eliminating waste no matter the event, covering topics such as avoiding single-use foodware like disposable plates, cups, and cutlery, sending leftovers home with guests in reusable containers, and composting food scraps. For DuPage County residents, SCARCE is offering tablecloths, napkins, plates, and even flatware to help you set a holiday table that's GREEN and welcoming.
Giving gifts: During the holiday season, one million additional tons of waste are created. This waste includes food, packaging, gift wrap, decorations, holiday cards and more. Below are some ideas for how to reduce waste when celebrating:
- Avoid fast fashion: Shop second hand or support brands that support ethical and sustainable manufacturing.
- Focus on quality over quantity: Look for durable products that will last a long time.
- Consider experiences over material purchases: Concert tickets or a membership/subscription.
- Get creative with wrapping: Use old newspaper or fabrics that can be reused rather than using disposable wrapping paper.
-
Consider gifting a compost subscription. Find service options HERE.
-
Give a Zero Waste To-Go Kit complete with a metal straw, reusable utensils, cloth napkin, reusable container for leftovers, insulated coffee mug or reusable water bottle, and a nice cloth bag to hold it all.
Holiday cards: Try making homemade cards with leftover wrapping or scrap paper to make it more personal. The only cards acceptable for recycling are plain paper cards. Cards with glitter, bows, printed on photo paper, or ones that light up or sing cannot be recycled.
| | Illinois Green Ribbon Schools | | The Zero Waste Schools team is here to help! | | Please contact us at zerowaste@sevengenerationsahead.org if you need support 
with your existing waste reduction initiatives or if you'd like some help figuring 
out where to start. | | Grants and other opportunities | | |
Plastic Free Restaurants Plastic Free Restaurants is dedicated to eliminating single-use petroleum-based products in everyday foodware. Plastic products are not only harmful to the environment but also human health. Their subsidy program is available to schools, non-profits, restaurants, and other for-profit entities to purchase safe reusable foodware products. Apply for a subsidy HERE.
Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S): Expanding Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in 
School Meals
The Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) program is a national granting initiative that equips schools and districts with salad bar equipment and support. Awarded schools receive Cambro salad bars, camchillers, and ongoing technical assistance to strengthen their school meal programs. Open to K–12 school districts with an enrollment of at least 100 students per school site that participate in the National School Lunch Program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
2025 Youth Garden Grant Since 1982, the Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for students and their communities. Apply by Dec. 12.
School Nutrition Association Equipment Grants Eligible SNA members have access to equipment grants from Alto-Shaam, AmTab, Cambro, FWE, Hobart, Innoseal, LTI Inc., Sterno Delivery, Vulcan, and Winston Foodservice. The total value of equipment grants being awarded is over $600,000. Applications open on Jan. 15.
President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) Recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects from students in Grades K-12 that protect our nation’s natural resources. Apply by Jan. 16.
Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) Recognizes outstanding Grade K-12 educators who use environmental education as a learning tool to excite students and communities about protecting human health and the environment. Apply by Jan. 16.
Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Spark and Innovation Collaborative Awards
These grants fund projects that need a short-term infusion of funds for school food system and marketplace improvements and projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system and marketplace across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Apply by Jan. 23.
The Earth Prize is an annual, global $100,000 environmental sustainability competition for students ages 13-19 that rewards the teams whose projects have the most potential to address environmental issues. This opportunity aims to inspire and empower the next generation of environmental leaders and innovators, creating a global platform for sharing and scaling their solutions. Apply by Jan. 31.
Slingshot Challenge 13-18 year-olds have the opportunity to submit a 1-minute video describing their idea for solving environmental issues for a chance to receive up to $10,000 USD. Apply by Feb. 6.
| | |
From Food to Flowers Everything Local Conference
Jan. 28 - 30, 2 - 4:30 pm, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield, IL
This annual event brings together farmers, growers, market managers, and local food advocates from across the state to learn, network, and grow together. Illinois Farm Bureau is once again a proud sponsor, alongside our partners at the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and the Illinois Farmers Market Association, as we celebrate and support everything local—from food to flowers and beyond.
Green Schools Conference
Feb. 17 - 19, San Diego, CA
The 2026 event will feature two days of inspiring sessions, expert-led workshops, and dynamic networking opportunities, followed by optional post-conference tours, which offer attendees a chance to explore sustainability in action at local schools and organizations across the San Diego area.
| | |
This newsletter was created by Seven Generations Ahead.
Funding for Zero Waste Schools is provided by Food:Land:Opportunity, a collaboration between Kinship Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust and funded through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust.
| | | | |
