Crayons - small things that make a BIG difference
Each year, over 150 million non-decomposable crayons are thrown away by restaurants alone while teachers spend nearly $900 a year on supplies for their classrooms. Crayon Collection has developed a solution! Through their Crayon Recycling Program, anyone can establish partnerships with their local restaurants and hotels to collect still good crayons from kid visitors. Instead of throwing these crayons away after each meal, we introduce our crayon collection process for each location and ensure these gently used crayons are recycled and donated to local schools that can put them to good use!
Since 2009, Crayon Collection has saved over 20 MILLION crayons from landfills which have been donated to vulnerable schools across the United States and in 10 countries. In 2018, Crayon Collection even set the Guinness World Record for the most crayons donated in history when they donated over 1 million crayons to teachers in Los Angeles over just 8 hours.
How can I take action?
Start a Crayon Collection in your community
Partner with your favorite local restaurant to collect crayons at the front of the house! Connect the restaurant to a school in your community that is willing to receive the donation and include our FREE lesson plans so students can create in the classroom with their new crayons. You can also download a sign for your box, featuring The Crayons from The Day the Crayons Quit, on our website.
Take the extra step and Color Kindness
After volunteers have collected their crayons to donate we offer them an optional next step. We ask them to bundle about 10-12 crayons in a rainbow of colors into a small bag or pouch. Next, we ask the volunteer to include a hand-written note of positivity. This gentle expression of care goes a long way and is a source of joy for both recipient and writer. This is most fun when done in a group and is perfect for volunteers of ALL ages!
Work for a large company? Starting a Color Kindness event is a fantastic corporate volunteer event!
Climate Justice Movements from Habits of Waste