This post shares insight into eco-friendly back-to-school items for your family. All of the products mentioned have been chosen for their use of recycled or eco-friendly materials and my personal experience. Thanks for stopping by!
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ECO-Friendly School Supplies
I always feel a bit scrambled when it’s time to get the kids ready for all the things that come with the start of a new school year. Back-to-school shopping looms over the summer as a transition between pool days, summer camp, and popsicles to a more scheduled and predictable way of life.
It’s also an indicator to get more organized and get back in the swing of things.
Each new school year I consider the essentials needed via a school-supplied list of classroom supplies while keeping in mind that it’s important to choose eco-friendly items that contain more sustainable materials.
If you’re like me you might even struggle with the sheer amount of items needed each year. It can be overwhelming and I tend to look at the items around the house from last year wondering what can be reused and repurposed.
In our home, we typically keep the pencil boxes that return home at the end of the school year and skim through the kids’ things for reusable items. The items selected usually tend to be in good shape and are easily usable for summer crafts and art or in addition to the items needed for the new school year.
Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
Recycling and/or repurposing school materials should be important to all of us. In the US alone, public schools account for about 14.5 billion tons of waste related to food service packaging and other school-related trash. One of the ways we can help is by choosing recycled or upcycled materials when available.
Preparing zero-waste lunches also helps to reduce our use of single-use plastic and the potential risk of toxic materials often found in food packaging.
Ways to implement the 3R’s with back to school:
- Reuse school items from the year prior
- Reduce waste by packing reduced or zero-waste lunches
- Choose school items labeled as recycled or eco-friendly
- Remove unused paper from folders or notebooks and place paper in a binder for use
There are many ways to implement greener practices at the start of this school year.
Here is a list of school supplies labeled as recycled or eco-friendly found on Amazon:
Pencils
- Three Leaf Recycled Paper Pencil
- Onyx & Green recycled newspaper pencils
- EcoTree Rainbow Recycled Pencils
- EcoTree Yellow #2 Pencils
- Staedtler- Wopex pencils
- Ticonderoga- Envirostick
Colored Pencils
- Faber Castile Colored Pencils
- Earth Hero Plantable Colored Pencils
- Stabilio
- Colozoo 3-in-1 Gecko pencils
- Onyx Green Colored Pencils
- Staedlter colored pencils (upcycled)
- Prang Colored Pencils
Pens
- Conscious Concepts Retractable ball point pens
- Kaco Eco Friendly Pens
- BIC Ecolutions Ocean Bound Ball Pens
- The Creator Plantable Pens
- The Paper Pen Co.
Highlighters
- Edding 24 Ecoline Highlighters
- Stabilo Green Boss Eco Friendly Highlighters
- Paperage 67% Recycled Material Highlighters
Crayons
- Honeysticks Beeswax Crayons
- Brilliant Bee Crayons
- Eco-Kids Beeswax Crayons
- Eco-Kids Dinosaur Beeswax Crayons
Erasers, Staplers and Scissors
Art Supplies
- Honeysticks Watercolor Paints
- Eco-Kids Finger Paint
- Veggie Baby Milk Paint
- Honeysticks Jumbo Paint brush set
- Eco-Kids Paint Brush Set
- Veggie Baby Art Pad
- Strathmore recycled 11×14 art pad
Certain areas or school districts may have a Zero Waste initiative to support the efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle school materials such as school furniture and school supplies. What kinds of zero-waste or reduce and recycle initiatives are in your area?
