Partnership with EcoSchools Canada

Category: School Recycling Support
Time frame: Since 2019
Location: Across Canada
Status: Active

CCC has been partnering with EcoSchools Canada since 2019. EcoSchools Canada works to build sustainable school communities across the country. Their main vehicle for doing this is a certification program for K-12 schools that nurtures environmental learning and climate action.

During the 2019-2020 school year, EcoSchools agreed, as part of the sponsorship agreement, to collect relevant data about carton recycling in Ontario schools through two online surveys administered with school and school board representatives. The first survey (fall 2019) found that:

• 90% of respondents said cartons were accepted for recycling at their school and over half of them (56%) estimated that about 75% of cartons are successfully recycled. This was encouraging to CCC!
• The top two barriers to carton recycling in schools were identified as the residual liquid found in cartons, and the lack of knowledge that they are recyclable.

The follow-up survey (spring 2020) aimed to identify potential solutions to address the previously identified barriers. Asked about the feasibility of implementing a residual liquid management station at their school, 19% said it would be very feasible; 57%, somewhat feasible; 24%, not feasible.

Asked about potential efforts to address the lack of awareness that cartons are recyclable, the two most popular responses were putting up posters in key areas of the school (32%) and putting labels on recycling bins (25%).

The other component of the sponsorship involved broadening EcoSchools’ waste audit template to include dedicated measurement categories for drink boxes and milk cartons (previously all recyclable beverage containers were tracked together). In total, 51 schools reported their waste audit data with EcoSchools. The average reported waste diversion rate was 54%. With regards to cartons, the milk carton diversion rate was 76% while drink boxes averaged 68% diversion.

The following year (2020-2021), the focus of the collaboration was the production of communication tools to support carton diversion in schools throughout Canada. The following resources are now available:

• How to Make Effective Signage, Posters, and Stickers
• Best Practices for carton recycling at school, where recyclables are collected curbside
• Best Practices for carton recycling at school, where beverage containers are collected through a deposit system
• Short video on carton recycling in schools

CCC continued its support over the 2021-2022 school year, during which 136 schools completed EcoSchool’s waste audit tool using the revised template. Based on the self-reported performance of these schools, cartons made up a significant portion (34%) of the recycling stream and constituted 16% of the garbage stream. CCC’s involvement in EcoSchools’ Conduct a Waste Audit action carried over into 2022-2023, when 191 schools participated.

In 2023-2024, EcoSchools and CCC added a national Carton Recycling School Contest to their work together, offering $2,000 in prizes. The contest invited students across Canada to post a photo capturing a best practice of carton recycling in action at their school. The following year (2024-2025), the contest was transformed into a grants program : nine Carton Recycling School Grants totalling $5,000 were awarded to help recipient schools enhance their recycling systems.

In 2025-2026, CCC sponsored a study on practical strategies for improving recycling in K-12 schools in Ontario in the context of the province’s recently completed transition to a full extended producer responsibility (EPR) model for blue box recycling. The results will inform a new school recycling guide.