Massachusetts School Box Programs
Bay State Textiles School Box Program
Waste characterization studies done by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in the Fall of 2010 and Winter of 2011 determined textiles make up 5% of Massachusetts’s waste. Bay State Textiles partnered with the Weymouth & Quincy Public Schools in the Spring of 2012, offering a six month pilot program as a solution to the problem of unwanted textiles. Both the Weymouth and Quincy Programs proved to be successful and the School Box Program took off from there. Within five years Bay State Textiles partnered with over (70) school districts, generating thousands of dollars for school communities in Massachusetts.
The focus of the School Box Program is to spread awareness to the problem of unwanted textiles, educate on acceptable items for textile recycling/reuse, while generating much-needed revenue for the school communities. There is no cost to the program and Bay State Textiles handles all of the logistics to the program.
Bay State Textiles encourages peer to peer education. Paul Olding will visit with High School students to share on the problem of unwanted textiles, the environmental impact of textile recycling/reuse, the local and global economic impact of textile recycling/reuse and the after life of unwanted textiles. The School Box Program has been brought into the business classroom offering students with an entrepreneurial spirit a REAL world business plan to market and promote their school’s program. The School Box Program offers an opportunity for community service hours, suggesting Environmental students take what they learn and share with elementary or middle school students.
“You had such an impact on our students. When I read their journals, they expressed how important it was to understand the different types of recycling that exist and how “cool” you are 🙂 The most overwhelming response was that they are so sad that textile recycling is not more well known. Also, that they didn’t know exactly what textiles were before your visit.
I can’t thank you enough for your time and visit. The outcome was exactly what I was hoping for.”
-Sheila Blair, Hull H.S. Science Department
Educational Material Provided by S.M.A.R.T.
Benefits of implementing the Bay State Textiles School Box Program:
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- District-wide Program
- Revenue generated for the school community
- Educational material provided
- Addresses a REAL world problem
- Math, geography and economics
For more information on the benefits of Bay State Textiles’ Box Program vs. Clothing Drives, click below!Â
Centerville Elementary School in Beverly Green Team’s Super Hero P.S.A.
Malden City Council Meeting
Implement a Program In Your School
To learn more about implementing a program in your municipality, contact Samantha Marino, our MA Account Manager. You can also find more information about textile recycling in Massachusetts at: Massachusetts DEP Reuse & Recycling